Crimson String Book I: Siblings of the Sword
by XenoMark
Summary: Falling in love with Kenshin was easy, but learning to cope that it could never be was the hardest part. Plz RR, no flames plz! COMPLETE
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, I am just borrowing it's characters for my own personal use. I do however own Mina and other characters who are never heard or spoken of in the anime series, manga, and movie.

  
  
  


Author's Note: This fic is supposed to be angst above all else, so don't flame me or anything like that if there's no action during the chapter. Despite having a dark tone, this story will have a happy ending.

  
  
  


Prologue

  
  
  


In the white powder of the season, before the gray skies and bustling city below, I stand here. I stood here five years ago, for what reason, I shall reveal later. I stand here with my faithful followers, all whom I could easily trust my life with. Rikumari Gonji, an ex-samurai of the fallen Tokugawa Shogunate, I can always depend on his advice. Smith Wesley, a foreigner from America, a "cowboy" and a samurai in one, his skill with the gun and sword are equal. Shizaku Ryosuke, my student who I have trained since he was born, I know I can trust him with anything, he is after all, a son to me. Futami Hideo, ex-Iga Ninja, an odd and silent fellow, but I know he's trustworthy. Kurotara Yurika, a tragic girl, cold and bitter, but I can't blame her for how she is, that I can't. And I, Himura Mina, once known as the Hitokiri Kensai, the creator of this and an upcoming and new era, leader of these followers that stand by my side. Who are we, we are the Mitsurugi Seven, the dragons that will cleanse this nation of it's sins.

Things weren't always like this. There was once a time when I didn't have to live by the sword, when I didn't have the name "Himura". There was once a time in which I lived a normal life, a life in the country. My name back then was...Tachibana Minako. I was a simple farmer's daughter, that I was, no real worries in the world. Yet it all came crashing down one day, leading me to tread the path of a killer, the path lined with the river of blood. I continue to tread that path even now, even if I am not the one who brings about the rain to this river. How I miss the days when I held the Tachibana name, I wish I could live through them once more...

Why must I think such things? I suppose it is true that in order to face the future, you must face the past first. Where shall I begin in my story of life...? I guess this all really began eighteen years ago, when I was twelve...


	2. When the Rock Crumbles Into Sand

Author's Note: Again, this fic is meant to be angst above all else. There is no action in this chapter, but is essential to read to understand the story. Yes, Kenshin does appear in this chapter, but he won't return until chapter 3, unfortunately. Other than that, enjoy the show!

  
  
  


Chapter 1: When the Rock Crumbles Into Sand

  
  
  


"Mina, can you water the crops?" Mother called to me from the house as I was laying in the field, looking into the cerulean sky.

"Hai!" I call to my mother, jumping back to my feet.

This was my life back then, the simple country life. I was born as Tachibana Minako on June 20th, Western Year 1852. Red hair and lavender eyes, I was a rare breed in Japanese society. The hair came from my father's side, but the eyes were from my mother. We lived in the outskirts of Kyoto, away from the bustling city, it was a good thing too, because at that time you could simply find at least five corpses on the street within an hour upon entering. That time I lived in back then was dangerous, but only if you lived in the city. The only times my family and I were to go to the city was if we were going to the festivals, but we didn't go that year for a reason. The current year of my story is Western Year 1864, which would later be marked as the first year of the Meiji Revolution.

I tended to the crops just as Mother asked me to, but the odd thing was, there was nothing but dirt where the radishes were supposed to be. Father told me that there was supposed to be a drought that season, and I guess he was right. We needed those crops too, we would save them for ourselves for our meals and then sell the excess amount to the city. My family and I were only able to harvest ten radishes for ourselves the day before, and now, we have nothing.

"Pardon me, Miss," the voice of boy about my age interrupted my thoughts.

I looked up from the dirt, finding a young man before me. The odd thing was, it looked as if I was staring into a mirror. Red hair bound at the temple level, lavender eyes, a perfect copy somewhat. I glanced at him from head to toe, he just stood still as I did this. His garments weren't those of a Shogunate soldier, navy blue kimono, white hamaka, and a sword brandished on his side, and random spots of scarlet over these clothes. Upon closer inspection, I realized what those spots were. Blood, human blood!

"Oh my God...," I fell to the ground, beginning to plead for my life. "You're not going to kill me are you?! Please, I'll do anything, just spare me!" I found myself on my knees in tears, my hands wrapped around each other.

"Calm down, Miss," the young boy knelt down beside me, "I was just going to ask you which way the city is."

"Oh... gomen," I wiped my tears, returning to my feet. "The city is that way," I pointed to the east, "but I wouldn't go there right now if I were you, my father tells me there's some kind of war going on there."

"Arigatou, Miss," the young man bowed, and he began to leave. "Before I go," he stopped after taking one step toward the city, "may I ask your name?"

"Mina," I answered, bowing to him, "Tachibana Mina, and you?"

"Himura Kenshin," the boy answered, "I hope that we meet again, Tachibana-dono." The boy took one more bow before I watch him disappear into the roads.

That was my first encounter with Kenshin, although I don't think he remembers that encounter. I felt something warm about him, despite the coldness in his voice. He seemed different from other soldiers I had met before, quite an odd one he was. That day really meant a lot to me, that it did. Ever since that day, I believed that the red string of fate had tied us together, but later I would find out that the shade of red on the string was really crimson.

After finishing my chores, not that there were many to do due to the drought, the sun had begun to set. Removing the shawl over my hair, my mother signaled me inside the house. It was a simple two bedroom house, with a living room/kitchen upon entering the house and two bedrooms at both ends of that room. Yeah, it was small, but it was home.

"Mina, did you do your chores today?" Father asked me upon entering our home.

"Hai," I answered with a nod as I took my seat at the table, "but there don't seem to be anymore crops growing."

"Such a shame," Father got up from his spot on the table, "it looks like we might have to head into the city tomorrow to buy our groceries for this season."

Father wasn't very healthy at this point in my life, he would go to the bathroom a lot, vomit at least once every hour, and have random muscle cramps. The doctor told us it was cholera, and it seemed like it wasn't going to get better anytime soon. Mother and I had to split up his chores during this time. I didn't mind, but I was worried about Father a lot.

"When's Father going to get better, Mother?" I asked her, not knowing then that he was never going to get any better.

"...Soon, Mina," Mother answered as I sensed doubt in her words, "very soon."

"What do you mean there's no crops?!" I suddenly heard a man's yell from outside.

Jumping from my seat, I hurried outside to find a Tokugawa soldier yelling at my ill father. Ignoring the cries of my mother to not get involved, I hurried outside to defend my father.

"Just who do you think you are, Mister?!" I yelled at the samurai, not caring what he'd to do me. "You can't start pushing my father around like this!"

"Che, you must be Tachibana's daughter," the samurai spat in my face, "or should I say a lowly old man's daughter."

"Bastard," I wiped the saliva away from my cheek, striking the soldier across the face with the very same hand after, "what the hell do you mean?!"

"Farmers and the lower class don't deserve family names," the samurai remained calm as he recovered from my slap, "especially a name such as Tachibana."

"I'd like you to repeat that!" I balled my hands into a fist, trying to pull myself away from my father's grasp.

"Mina, you mustn't," Father held me back, despite the fact that I was close to breaking out of his hold.

"Let me go, Father!" I began yelling at my father, forgetting who the enemy was in this situation. "Let me go this instant or I'll...!"

"Che, you farmers amuse me," the samurai mocked us as he began to tread back down the road. "Old man, you say you support the Shogunate. If you do in fact support the Shogunate, then you will give the Shogunate half of your crops next season instead of the usual quarter."

"What makes you think we'll follow your demands!" I yell at the samurai.

"Mina, stop this now!" Father ordered me, "think about it young lady, the Shogunate has lead our country for four hundred years, do you think we can just have them replaced by some other stupid faction like the Ishin Shishi so easily?!"

"I'm actually surprised the Shogunate has been overthrown for this long!" I pushed my father away. "Father, why can't you let go of the past, Japan needs a stronger leader than the Shogunate! They could use someone like the Ishin Shishi to rule this country!"

"Mina, do you have any idea of what you just said?!" Father's voice soon became a yell in my ears.

"Che, you're such an idiot, Father," I turned my back on the old man, "you think things will just get better if you leave them be... Well let me tell you this, things aren't going to get better for any of us, not if the Shogunate keeps bullying us!"

"And just what do you intend to do about it, young lady?!" Father grabbed my shoulder, forcefully turning my body to face him.

"I...," no words were able to escape my mouth as many raced through my mind.

"Maybe I could join the Ishin Shishi," is what popped up in my head the most during those few seconds. I didn't think they would let me join back then, for me being a woman, the battlefield was supposed to be for men, especially ronin or vagabonds. Yet in the end...

"That's just what I thought, Mina!" Father limped back to the house. "Now go back inside and help your mother reset the table!"

If Fate had not intervened that day, perhaps that's all I could've ever been; a woman taking care of her family, doing nothing but household chores, being a nobody. Yet Fate did intervene, I just didn't know it yet. Not until two years later.

  
  
  


Chapter 1 Liner Notes

What do 'hai', 'gomen', and 'arigatou' mean?- 'Hai' is the Japanese way of saying 'yes', 'okay', or anything else in that area. 'Gomen' is translated to 'sorry' in English. 'Arigatou' is how you say 'thank you' in Japanese.

  
  
  


So when exactly did Mina meet Kenshin?- This event occurred before Kenshin fought Kiyosato Akira, but after Kenshin left Hiko's training. Basically Kenshin was returning to Kyoto from an assassination when he met Mina.

  
  
  


What's this 'Red String of Fate'?- In Japanese culture, the Red String of Fate is basically what many believe tie two lovers together. Mina harbors those feelings for Kenshin as you know from the Twin Dragon Arc, that's why she mentions it, and she'll continue to mention it throughout the story.

  
  
  


Why was the Shogunate samurai making a big deal over Mina's family name?- Tachibana is a last name given to legendary samurai in many samurai novels and tales. Usually one named Tachibana is a warrior feared by many, but still a fighter for justice. They also usually suffer from some kind of disease that was incurable then (in most cases, the warrior would suffer from tuberculosis). A good example of this would be Tachibana Ukyo from the Samurai Showdown video games. Ukyo was a Battoujutsu master but suffered from tuberculosis, in fact, he coughed up blood for some of his victory poses. For those who read the Twin Dragon Arc, you know what disease Mina has (at least later on). Also, Mina was given her first name for a good reason. In Japanese, if you don't know a person's name, or if you want to refer to everyone in the same area as you, you would call them 'mina-san'. Mina was given her name because farmers were recognized as the lower class during the Tokugawa era, but that's not all. In European culture, one named 'Mina' often suffered a cruel fate in the past, in most cases, their entire family would be killed before their eyes.

  
  
  


(Next time: "The rock of life has crumbled, Fate has begun to break the one they call Tachibana Mina. The mountain of Tachibana has crumbled, the pieces of the stone tower are all scattered..." -Tachibana Mina)

  
  
  


Author's Note: What'd you think? Trust me, it gets better as the story goes on, becoming more darker with each chapter, and if you're waiting for the action, it doesn't show up until chapter 3 when Kenshin returns. I must also warn you readers that the rating will eventually change to R due to graphic violence, along with a little bit of yaoi (only implied though), some yuri, rape, and a lemon chapter near the end. So drop me a review, but please don't flame me, I'm kinda new at this, I sure hope my preview for the next chapter sounds cool, I tried to make it sound like some kind of riddle. Suggestions for future chapters are welcome as this fic is still incomplete.


	3. Nothing But Sand

Author's Note: Things just really go down for our heroine here, still no action, just angst here. If you want action, then wait until the next chapter, but again, this chapter is need for the story to progress. I hope you're enjoying the story so far.

  
  


Chapter 2: Nothing But Sand

  
  


Two years after that incident, things just really went down hill from there. The year before and the next, there was yet another drought, so now we owed our entire harvest to the Shogunate for the next year. Father's condition worsened; he wasn't even able to leave his bed anymore. If he had to get up, Mother or I had to carry him. Actually, it was just me, Mother's hand broke when she tried to run the mill last season, and it didn't seem to be healing up very well. It was like I had to run the entire farm by myself that season. I slaved over the kitchen and chores day after day, night after night, and if I was lucky, I would be able to take, at most, a ten minute nap. Each night I would pray that my samurai would return to me, our Red String of Fate being wounded into his hand, bringing the two of us together. I knew that was never going to happen though, but a girl can dream, that she can. A girl, that's all I was back then, a simple farm girl, a nobody, one not even worthy of a family name.

It was the month of December when it finally happened, I remember it all well. I had just finished cooking our usual breakfast, one rice ball and tea, all of this was used to feed the entire family, we were always strapped for cash. What little yen we had came from some money I was saving up since I was child. I was saving it for a beautiful kimono when I was grown up. I would never get that kimono now, I knew it, except perhaps if my husband were to rich, then maybe...

I knocked on my parent's door before I entered. I called to them both as I usually did. Seeing the silhouettes from the door, I only saw one figure laying there, I knew it was my father; he was always so stiff during those days, barely even able to move. I slid the bamboo door to the right, stepping into the tattered carpet within. I set the breakfast tray next to his side as I kneeled next to him.

"Father," I called to him in a whisper, "wake up, it's time to eat." I nudged him a little with the tips of my fingers. "Father," I called again, this time speaking at normal volume.

He didn't move, not even a simple groan. I nudged him once more, this time a little harder. My next nudge became a light push, but again, no response.

"Father?" I placed my hand over his forehead, sweeping away his bangs.

I leaned closely toward his face, not a breeze escaped his lips, and his mouth looked so dry. He was as stiff as a log, it was if he was frozen in that state for eternity. Then it hit me, Father was...

"Oh my God!" I jumped back, my hand covering the frown on my face.

My eyes began to be fill with something other than sleepiness, weighing down the lids on my eyes. Small rivers of that weight began to flood down my face, some getting stuck in the bags around my eyes. I began to step back slowly; I kept going back until I hit my back against the wall. Soon I found my whole body being weighed down by the same emotion. It crawled up my legs, and then to my arms, soon I found out that my entire body had collapsed, face to the floor. The tatami was suddenly wet with the same liquid that fell from my eyes, it was very cold. I wanted to scream, but all that came out were pathetic whimpers like that of a frightened dog.

"Mina, my dear, what's wrong?" Mother's touch crept up my back as I still lay curled into a ball. "Oh my!" I held my knees toward my face as soon as I heard Mother's cries.

I don't know how long I was crying, but the next thing I knew, everything had turned black. Had I fallen asleep, finally giving into the weight weighed down upon my eyes for so long, or had I succumbed to the pain in my heart and blacked out from the torture? When the darkness disappeared, I found a gentle white glow greeting me, along with many shimmering lights in a darkened sky. It was evening now, I had missed all my chores for today. There's no way Mother was able to do them all, not with her broken hand. Mother was nowhere to be found when I awakened, the room was empty, although Father, or at least his empty shell, was still there.

"What do we do now?" I heard Mother's voice in the next room.

She was talking to herself, her face buried on the table. A clear liquid fell from the corner of the table and onto the floor. Tears. Now it was her turn to cry. I didn't know what to do, or what to say at that moment, but words suddenly just came out of my lips.

"I don't know," I answered suddenly, "It will be rather difficult for me to run the farm by myself in your condition, and the drought isn't making things any..."

"We can't stay here, Mina," Mother's face rose from the table, turning towards me with water collecting into her pupils. "We can't continue living this life, we can't continue having the Shogunate bully us like they did your father."

Those words, if only Father could understand them two years ago, then maybe none of this would've happened. It's too late now though, with Father gone, what would Mother and I do? Women were pretty much at the bottom of the social ladder during this time, so there was no real opportunity for us. If Father were still alive, then maybe we could've lived the good life in the city, but it's too late now, he is dead, and there's nothing that can ever change that.

"Where will we go?" I asked, unaware of the future ahead of us.

"To the city," Mother answered, "to Kyoto, even if there is a war going on there, it's better than staying here and waiting for us to die."

I thought that her decision was suicide at the time, only later I would realize that my Red String of Fate was slowly being wounded by my man on the other side. The decision scared me, a city like Kyoto was a dangerous place to be for a girl my age. Fourteen years old, still young and inexperienced, I would be the perfect target for any criminal in the city. Crime was very common there, my death would probably mean nothing if I were to die.

The very next day, Mother and I were on the road, following the trade route to Kyoto. Strange, the roads were supposed to be inhabited by bandits, luckily none seemed to be home during our trip. The trip was tiresome for Mother, even if our luggage only consisted of two bags, each of us carried one over our shoulders. I think we had to stop at least once every hour, resting half an hour each time we took a break. We arrived in Kyoto sometime during the evening, not many seemed to be out anymore. If there were people out, they would be rushing into inns or their homes as most of the violence occurred during the evening. Mother and I quickly ran to the nearest inn once we arrived. It was a fairly nice inn, but it was better maintained than our house during the last two years. With the last of our money, we were able to afford one room, and from there, Mother and I planned what to do with our lives.

"I want to go home," I whined as soon as my futon was laid out.

"We can't go home," Mother reminded me, "do you want the Shogunate to kill you once they find out we don't have anymore crops to supply them?!"

"It's better than here," I continued to whine, "in a place such as this, we'd probably end up dead the next morning, what's the point?!"

"Watch your mouth, young lady!" Mother yelled as her unbroken hand struck me across the face. "Don't you ever say that again, do you hear me?! Are you telling me that your life is meant for nothing, huh, is that it?!"

"But Mother...," the very same tears from yesterday poured down my face as I began to weep.

"Be quiet and face the facts!" Mother yelled as she began to lay on her futon. "We're not going back, and that's final! It's better to take our chances out here in the city than back on the farm, now go to sleep!"

I shut my mouth, knowing I had been defeated. If we were to stay in the city, how would we make a living? I asked that to myself as I tossed and turned in my futon. This question continued to echo through my mind as I tried to sleep. Along with that question, the melodies of steel crashing and the screams of people were sung outside. I held my blanket close to my face, trying to prevent the tears from escaping my eyes. I was scared, more scared than I ever was in my entire life. I don't know how long I remained conscious, but I think I succumbed to the weight in my eyes just as I did the other day. When I awoke the next morning, I was greeted by a simple light that broke through the darkness in my eyes. I was used to having the melodies of birds chirping to be my wake up call, but here in Kyoto, only the sun greeted me. Rising from my futon, I found Mother still sleeping, her futon next to mine. I turned to our room's balcony, walking to the edge of the wooden plank, resting my body against the railing. I looked to the streets below, it was already very busy. Vendors had already set up their stands, people were going to work, and the Shogunate soldiers seemed to be brandishing their swords as people cleared paths for them as they walked down the street. Those soldiers were no ordinary soldiers, these ones wore sky blue coats over their kimonos. I noticed they also had some kind of white bandana over their brows, and that very same white was the lining on their kimono's coat.

"Che, who do they think they are," I spit upon the sight, "acting as if they own the market."

"The Shinsengumi," Mother answered with a yawn.

"The Shinsengumi, Mother?" I turned toward her, trying to remember where I heard the name. "I remember now, Father told me about them, supporters of the Shogunate, acting as the police and killing anyone who's suspected of not supporting the Shogunate."

"You should watch your mouth in the city, Mina," Mother ordered me with the wave of her unbroken hand, "if you act as you did on the farm, you will surely be killed out in the middle of the streets."

I kept my mouth shut this time, I didn't want her to slap me again as she did last night. My cheek was still kind of sore, she hit me pretty hard, that she did. There was one thing that bothered me as I looked into the city that morning, other than the Shinsengumi, I mean. People just seemed to be going through their everyday lives as if nothing happened the other night. They're acting as if the other night was simply a bad dream, one that they could easily wake up from. Before these people know it, that dream will become a nightmare they wouldn't be able to wake up from, and I would be a part of that nightmare.

"Mina, we have to talk," Mother broke up my thoughts.

"What is it?" I asked, returning to the inside of our room.

"It's about what we have to do now," Mother answered, patting a space on the floor next to her, "please, sit down."

"I'm fine standing up," I told her, unaware of what she had to tell me about our future.

Nothing paced through my mind at the moment, in fact, I was off in my own little world. I was thinking about the past, thinking about my childhood and the life I lived then. Of course, Mother's words soon interrupted those thoughts.

"I'm going to have to sell you on the streets," those were the words that brought my world crashing down.

"Nani?!" I broke out of my illusion, shocked upon hearing her words. "What the hell do you mean, Mother, are you going to sell me off just so you can fulfill your own goddamn needs, is that it?!"

"Please, calm down, Mina," Mother placed her hand on my shoulder, "I'm not selling you, I'm just selling...your body."

"My body?!" I took a step back, lining myself against the wall, now aware of what she spoke of. "So what, am I supposed to just throw away my virginity and give it away to some stranger on the street for a measly one or two ryo?! You sure planned this out, Mother, why the hell should I be the one to sell myself, if you want it done, then do it yourself!"

"Mina, no one would want an old woman like me," Mother tried consoling me, but to no avail, "you on the other hand are..."

"Just shut up!" I interrupted Mother, screaming. "Why must I be the one who supports the both of us?! If it's just me they want, then I should just go off on my own and do this by myself, I don't need someone like you to act as a pimp!"

"Have you forgotten how long your father and I have taken care of you?!" Mother rose from her seat, pushing the table to it's side in the process. "We worked so hard just so you can survive in this world, don't you think you should repay the favor by helping me?!"

"Che, is that your excuse for me to help you," I spat, baring my teeth at my mother as if she were my enemy, "you're a horrible person to even consider saying that!"

"You will help me whether you like it or not!" Mother continued yelling at me, striking me again with her unbroken hand in the same cheek that was bruised.

"Who's gonna make me!" I took my bag off the floor and stomped out of the inn.

I left in such a hurry, but I could still hear my mother calling for me from the inn's balcony as I blended into the crowds. I was so angry at the time, I just wanted to crawl into some hole and die. "How could Mother even consider using me for her selfish needs?!" That question continued to race through my mind as I wandered. I didn't need her help to sell my own body, I could do it myself, but I'd rather not. Once I cooled down enough, I tried looking for a job in some of the restaurants and bars. I got the same response or something similar to it to each one I went to. It was either "sorry, we have no my room for anymore employees" or "you can't work here, we have enough employees as it is." I had given up by the time the sun had begun to set. I just threw my bag on the floor and leaned against the nearest corner with my arms crossed. I thought that's how prostitutes stood out in the streets for clients, but seemed as if I wasn't getting anyone's attention. I was also very hungry, that grumbling of my stomach must've also scared away people. I only had half a rice ball left in my luggage for food, it was the only leftover I had from yesterday's trip. I contemplated returning to the farm, but there's no way I could make it with this much food left. I sighed and unwrapped the white sphere and popped the whole thing into my mouth. I was so hungry, even after eating that morsel of rice, the least it did was stop the grumbling of my stomach.

"Are you all right, child?" I found another morsel of white grain before my eyes suddenly.

"It's you," I glared at my mother and her sphere of rice, "what do you want?!"

"I should apologize for earlier," Mother leaned against the wall next to me, "I was being greedy."

"Hai, you were," I snatched the rice ball in her hand.

"...perhaps we should just get a job at a restaurant or inn," Mother suggested, "it's better than you..."

"Forget about it, Mother," I told her as I looked to the pebbles in the street, "there are no jobs for us in this city, no opportunity, I checked everywhere. I guess I will have to take up the job you recommended earlier..."

"Are you sure?" Mother looked to me concerned, seeing the sadness I tried to hide with my bangs.

"...Hai," I slowly nodded, "it's...the only way."

"Then you wait here and I'll find someone," Mother quickly left the area, leaving me alone in that corner.

Fate plays many tricks on us in the story of life, and I fell for this one. Little did I know, the Red String of Fate was almost quickly wounded, bringing my love and I together very soon.

Chapter 2 Liner Notes

  
  


What does 'nani' mean?- 'Nani' is the Japanese way of saying 'what'.

  
  


What are 'ryo'?- Ryo was the Japanese currency during the Tokugawa Era, it was later replaced by the 'yen' when the Meiji Government took over Japan. I think it's 1,000 yen that makes up 1 American dollar.

  
  


Why did Mina's mother propose that Mina become a prostitute?- During the Meiji Revolution, it was hard for anyone to get a job, especially women. Women would only work in restaurants or inns during the revolution and Tokugawa Eras, or if it came down to it, they would have to sell their bodies and work as prostitutes. For men, the only real jobs they could get were to be soldiers for the Tokugawa or for other clans such as Cho Shu or Satsuma. Women weren't allowed to join the military as front line soldiers, and if they did join, they would be assassins used to kill enemy officials. Of course, it was still rare for clans or the Shogunate to hire women for these jobs, so most women would then disguise themselves as men to join the war effort.

  
  


(Next time:"Fate collects the sand of Tachibana Mina into her hand, placing the sand into the hand of another, the hand of a warrior whose hair is as wild as fire and red as blood, eyes as cold as ice yet cool as the cerulean skies. The hand is closed by a red string, binding the sand within the warmth of the hand..." -Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: Well, what do you think, why don't you leave me a review and make my day, but please don't flame me, I'm still getting used to this. Oh, and Kenshin will return in the next chapter, expect a little bit of action to mark his return.


	4. Binding the String

Author's Note: Oh man I feel like hell right now, I have to go in for some surgery, but I should be able to update this and Twin Dragon Arc soon hopefully. I'd rather not speak of what I have to go in for, so let's just get into details what's going to happen in this chapter. Kenshin's gonna make his debut this chapter, I'm pretty sure all you readers have been waiting for this. There's a little bit of action in this chapter, but I wouldn't really call it action, I don't want to spoil what happens so just read on...

  
  


Chapter 3: Binding the String

  
  


It was evening by the time Mother had returned. At the very moment she returned, powder-white specks began to fall from the sky. Snow. Were the heavens shedding tears for me, or was it marking the end of one chapter of my life and the beginning of a new, I still don't know the answer to this day.

"Mother, have you...found someone...to take me?" I asked, hesitating every two words.

The tears wouldn't escape my eyes, they were either locked by my emotions or frozen by the weather. I couldn't tell, but it didn't matter, I had to support the two of us, whether it was through honest work or something such as dirty as this.

"I have," Mother nodded, "I shall take you to them."

"Them?" I asked puzzled as Mother dragged me with her.

We hurried down the streets, the snow beginning to collect on our feet as if someone was intentionally trying to slow us down. Mother brought me to a dark alley, it was empty, no one seemed to be there. It was very dank, the buildings surrounding the alley were held by splintered oak and random straps of bamboo. I don't see how anyone could've lived here, it was worse off than our farm. After I was done observing the wretched architecture, two silhouettes appeared from the darkness, both in sky blue coats with white lining.

"Is this the girl?" one of the individuals asked Mother.

Shinsengumi, how I hated them, there was no way I'd allow myself to work for them despite how desperate I was for money, especially since they were to be my first clients.

"Well, shall we get started my dear?" the second individual placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Get your dirty hands off me!" I swatted the wretched man's hand away from me.

"Mina!" Mother looked to me in shock.

"You bitch, what the hell did you do that for?!" the first individual spat at me.

"There's no way I'm supporting the Shogunate," I sneered, "even if it is in this way."

"Mina, what did I tell you about watching your mouth?!" Mother reminded me of her lecture earlier.

"Are you supporter of the Ishin Shishi?!" one of the Shinsengumi slid their blades out of their cases.

"I'll support anyone who doesn't support scum like you!" I struck one of the individuals with my fist.

I was so brash at the time, I didn't expect any retaliation, but I had to learn the hard way. I was struck back, losing my balance in the process. I looked back to where I had fallen only to see my reflection staring back at me through a steel blade. I could see the fear in my eyes, I could see myself backing up against the corner, scared for my life.

"Please, spare this child!" Mother suddenly ran in front of me, her body shielding mine.

I shut my eyes to envelop myself in darkness. Though I could not see it, I heard her screams, I heard steel piercing through her flesh and her cries after. I felt a warm liquid fall onto my hand, suddenly freezing upon touching my skin. I opened my eyes again to find my mother laying on the floor in front of me, wading in a frozen pool of ruby red. My mouth was being pulled down by my sadness, but again, no tears fell. Soon my entire body rose from the floor, backing against the wall without me acting.

"Now it would be a shame to kill this one too," one of the soldiers began to inch toward me as I stood there with my back flat against the wall.

"No...," I stuttered, my hands etched into some of the splinters on the wall, "Get away!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Come here!" I soon found myself pulled into the other devil's arms. "We're not going to kill you just yet, not until we show you a real good time!" his coal black eyes pierced fear into me just as his blade pierced through Mother.

My life flashed before my eyes in a matter of one second, I thought I was going to die. It was up until then that I realized I didn't want to just be a simple nobody no one would recognize if they found my body out in the streets, I wanted to be known. It would've been too late for me, but it was unknown to me that the Red String of Fate was finally wounded up, bringing us together once again.

"Let the girl go!" the voice of my savior echoed from the other end of the alley where I stood.

He had come, the one who held the other end of my string. Hair as red and wild as fire, eyes as cold as ice, yet as calm as the cerulean sky, and that scar on his left cheek, forming an "X", as if marking two paths that became one, but then split again. My samurai, he has finally come.

"Who's there?" one of the devils turn toward the warrior.

"This your brother or something?!" the soldier spat, tightening the grip he had on me.

"I said let her go!" the red-haired samurai began to draw his blade.

"Wait a second," the other Shinsengumi member steps back, "it's the Battousai!"

"You'll be our victory celebration," the soldier threw me back to the floor. "Prepare 

yourself!" I soon find both soldiers charging toward my savior.

In the blink of my eye, both men were slain, face first in a pool of crimson, the same pool in which Mother fell. His shimmering blade reflected the stars as it slowly slid back into it's oak sheath, his navy blue kimono was again tainted in crimson, the sight of a true warrior, not an expression on his face after he killed those two men.

"Are you all right?" his hand soon opened before mine, his face now offering me a smile.

It was him, the boy whom I met two years ago. I sensed a change in him, other than that scar on his cheek, he seemed so different from when I first met him. I didn't know how to respond, but out of impulse, I responded with silence and the turn of my head.

"I'm sorry about your mother," the young man suddenly apologized, "if only I had gotten here faster..."

I just had to respond, I didn't know what to say. My Red String was no longer stretched between him and I, I knew it then, time had frozen for a moment as I laid there. I couldn't delay time any longer, so I finally responded.

"...it's not your fault," I answered, "it was mine, I shouldn't have been so picky about my clients."

"Clients you say?" the young man looked to me puzzled.

"Mother told me things were no longer going to be easy," I explained my story, as I took a glance at my dead mother, "after Father died two days ago we came here to the city with the trade route. It's the only way we could make money, but I wouldn't allow myself to support the Shogunate in anyway. Damn the Shogunate, they put everything on us, the farmers, why should we suffer for the government's loss?!"

"I agree," the young man sat next to me, his lavender eyes looking straight into mine, giving a gentle warmth as I peered into them, "I, too, hate the Shogunate for all the chaos they've created," the young man then turned his eyes to the ground. "I hate them so much I decided to join this conflict, despite my Master's words, despite leaving my training incomplete. He told me that I was only going to protect people with murder, slaughtering many so that only a few may live. Maybe... he was right. Why does it matter," his face turned to the dark skies, "he never really cared for me anyway. By the way," the young turned back to me, brandishing another smile to me, "I'm Himura Kenshin, and you are?"

"I have no last name," I answered, the words of that soldier from two years ago still etched in my mind, "the Shogunate said farmers were not worthy of such things. My parents called me Mina when they were alive."

"Mina," Kenshin practiced saying my name as he returned to his feet, "please allow me to help you in any way," Kenshin offered his hand to me again.

"If it's no trouble," I slowly took his hand into mine, "I'd like something to eat and a place to stay for the night. I hope what I'm asking for isn't too much, Himura-san."

"Kenshin is fine," Kenshin continued brandishing his smile at me, "but I can do that. Well then, we should pray for your mother first."

We both kneeled there with our palms pressed against each other. As I prayed, I couldn't help but take a few glances at Kenshin as he payed his respects to my mother. I got this feeling when I stared at him, a feeling that I things would get better from here on.

"Well, shall we go?" Kenshin asked as he finished his prayer.

"Hai," I nodded, "please, lead the way, Kenshin."

We treaded down many streets, I don't know how long we were walking, it seemed such a short while to me. As we walked, I leaned my head on his broad shoulder, placing my right arm around him. He felt so warm, I had no idea how he would react to me holding him. He returned the favor, wrapping his arm around me, petting my hair as he did so. I felt happy again for the first time in two years. I hate to admit it, but Mother's death was possibly the best thing that happened to me.

"Here we are," Kenshin's voice broke me out of my trance.

I found myself looking to a descent structure, a simple two stories. There seemed to be a lot of noise coming from within, they must've been very busy. I wondered if Kenshin would be able to get us a room, but I guessed he already had one.

"Himura, welcome back," a man opens the door for the two of us. "Oh, you have a friend," the man flashed me a friendly smile.

"Shinji-dono," I simply bowed in response.

The people within seemed to be much friendlier than those soldiers of the Shogunate I met. Who exactly were they, I wondered. They definitely weren't supporters of the Shogunate, so they had to be one of the rebellion groups that made up the Ishin Shishi.

"Mina-dono, come on in," Kenshin showed me inside.

The entire inn was crowded, many individuals were talking with one another. Swords were plastered on the far wall, presumably their's. As I looked around the room, Kenshin found me a seat in the corner of the room. A second later, he was handed a bowl of rice, which he in turn handed to me.

"Here," he smiled as he presented me the food.

"Arigatou," I took the dish, slowly placing each grain into my mouth.

"Kenshin," a well-dressed man calls him.

"Sir," Kenshin approached the man.

I couldn't make out what they were saying, but it didn't matter, I had food and a place to stay, at least for the night. The rice was delicious, I think it had hints of fish in it, along with some radish. I finished it rather quickly, my stomach had been totally filled for the first time since the drought two years ago. Once I had finished, I looked back to Kenshin, this time he had a worried look on his face.

"Is something the matter, Kenshin?" I asked concerned as he returned to his seat.

"Nothing," Kenshin answered with the shake of his head. "So how was it?" Kenshin looked to my empty dish.

"Delicious," I answered, brandishing the same grin Kenshin gave me earlier, "I haven't had a meal like that in a long time!"

"I'm glad to hear that, that I am," Kenshin took my empty bowl and headed into the direction of the kitchen.

Later, Kenshin took me to the second story of the inn. All of the rooms seemed to be full, except one. Kenshin slid the Sakura blossom designed door to the side and signaled me inside.

"Please, make yourself at home," Kenshin offered.

"Arigatou," I placed my luggage in the corner of the room.

"Here," Kenshin then handed me a futon, "pick any spot in the room."

"I'll do that," I placed my futon near the room's balcony.

"Well, good night then," Kenshin yawned, sliding into his futon.

"Good night, Kenshin," I yawned, slipping into my futon.

It was such an eventful day, that it was, it was the first day of my new life, a life that would later become stained with blood...

Chapter 3 Liner Notes

  
  


Who was the well dressed individual Mina spoke of?- The well dressed individual was Katsura Kogoro, leader of the Cho Shu Clan. He'll play a bigger role later in the story.

  
  


Where's the action already?!- The next chapter will have some, it will have Mina beginning her training and then up to the point where she has her first kill. I promise there will be more action later on, a lot more once she has a few more training exercises.

  
  


(Next time: "Steel breaks through bone and muscle, the hand takes the pieces of Man, mixing it's contents with the sand. A new creature is born from within, born with sword in hand and bathed in the ruby liquid of life itself." -Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: Good so far, I hope so. The real action begins I think in chapter six, and from there, there will be fighting in each chapter. Anyway, please be kind and leave me a review, and don't flame me, I feel bad enough already.


	5. Lake of Crimson

Author's Note: Okay, so it looks like I'm okay now, the surgery was very minor, I guess I can tell you what it was now. It was dental surgery, they had to take some of the gum on the top of my mouth and put it on the lower part of my mouth because I had a weak gum line there. So I can't really talk at the moment, or eat solid foods for about a week. Anyway, enough of my ranting, let's get on with the show. Oh yeah, before that, this chapter has Mina's first kill, so there'll be action. 

  
  


Chapter 4: Lake of Crimson

  
  


The next morning was the second day of my new life, one I thought in which I didn't have to suffer in. The aroma of miso soup and pork awakened me as they sailed into my nostrils, for once in my life a meal was waiting for me as soon as I awakened. As the darkness in my eyes disappeared, I found a blank ceiling of white staring back at me. I turned to my side, still in my futon, looking outside. Beautiful white powder rest on the balcony and roofs, for once I was able to admire nature. The white mounds reminded me of my new life, blank, and ready to be written into history. After admiring the blank powder, I hurried downstairs to find the inn as busy as it was last night. Kenshin was nowhere to be found, I had no idea where he went.

"Perhaps Kenshin went out for a bit," I told myself as I continued to scout for him among the masses of soldiers.

"You there," the finely dressed man whom Kenshin spoke with last night approached me, "you're the one Himura-kun brought in last night, is that correct?"

"Hai," I nodded, bowing at the individual at the same time, "I'm Mina, and you?"

"Katsura Kogoro," the man took my hand into his, shaking it up and down, "I'm the leader of the Cho Shu Clan."

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you, Katsura-sama," I flashed him a smile as I continued to look for Kenshin from the corner of my eye.

"Let me be blunt," I turned back to Katsura as soon as he said those words, "anyone who is with the Cho Shu Clan must contribute to the clan."

"Contribute," his words puzzled me at first, "oh I see, you want me to act the goddamn whore for all these men, is that it?!" I found myself suddenly losing my temper.

"Mina-dono, that's not what Katsura-dono meant," I turned around to find my red-haired warrior. "Mina-dono, you have to work for us if you intend to stay, and not as a whore, but you'll have to assist in the chores the maids do at the inn."

"Oh...," I begin to calm down, my face suddenly being weighed to the floor, "gomen, Katsura-sama."

"Quite alright, Mina-chan," Katsura told me as he made his way upstairs, "Himura-kun, have her get straight to work."

"Hai," Kenshin nodded at his leader as he walked to the floor above. "Well then, Mina-dono, shall we begin?" Kenshin turned back to me with the usual smile on his face.

"Begin what?" I asked, following the young soldier into the backyard of the inn.

"Here," Kenshin tossed a curved strip of oak at my feet.

"A bokken, what will I need this for?" I took the wooden blade into my hand.

"Mina-dono, Kyoto is a very dangerous place, that it is," my samurai savior took a bokken of his own into his hands. "I wouldn't want you to get in the same situation as you did last night, that I don't, so I think it's best that I teach you the basics of swordsmanship."

"Why teach when I have no weapon," I asked, swinging my wooden blade to the side, "and I doubt a wooden stick will be enough to defend myself."

"I'll give you a real sword later, Mina-dono," Kenshin assured me as he pointed his wooden sword toward me. "Shall we begin?"

I don't know what overcame me as soon as he said those words, but suddenly my body was flying toward his with my oak blade piercing through the air. I brought it down as soon as he came in range, yet I hit only air, it seemed as if he disappeared. I was confused for a mere second, until I heard the whistling of some kind of falling from above. Kenshin was there, as if he were flying toward me, his bokken in hand ready to strike. Naturally, I jumped back, and somehow I evaded the attack.

"You're pretty good for a beginner, Mina-dono," Kenshin complimented me as soon as he landed.

"The fight's not over yet!" I ran at him again, this time placing my weapon ahead of my body.

The oak blades created a large 'crack' upon impact, the loud thud crashed through the entire area. The two bokken locked for a mere second and then we both went for another strike. Again, another 'crack', yet this time our blades remained locked. He tried to push me back and as I tried to do the same, yet he was beginning to overpower me. Thinking at the last second, I stepped to the side and Kenshin staggered in the direction of his wooden blade. The next thing I knew, I mimicked his previous action, somehow jumping into the heavens and plummeting down on the red-haired samurai. Our wooden blades met again, with me still in the air, his blade supporting my weight, keeping me from the ground. Suddenly another 'crack', this one smaller than the last. A black web of lines were soon engulfed into Kenshin's sword, and suddenly I found myself on the ground, my face buried in dirt and snow.

"Ow...," I moaned as I staggered to my feet.

"Mina-dono, that was...amazing," Kenshin complimented me, tossing the remaining portion of his bokken away. "You were able to mimic the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu's Ryu-Tsui-Sen by only seeing it once. It took me about a week before I was able to learn."

"Mother always told me I was a fast learner," I brushed the white powder off my cheek.

"Did you see that?" I looked back inside to find a crowd suddenly gathered around.

"That new girl...," I heard another's words.

"Very well executed," I soon found Katsura headed toward my direction, "you have the skill of a seasoned warrior, Mina-chan."

A warrior, it seemed rather odd to have been complimented by that. Those skills I used during my lesson, other than his Ryu-Tsui-Sen I mean, they were all techniques I saw sometime in the past. When you live on a farm, it's somewhat common to see bandits pick fights with anyone passing by, but for some reason, the fighters leave all observers alone. I guess after watching stuff like that for a while, I learned swordsmanship through observation.

"...Arigatou, Katsura-sama," I placed the bokken to the side, having it's blade lean against the wall and ground.

"I guess this concludes your first lesson, Mina-dono," Kenshin gave me his usual smile as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"All right, let's all go back inside everyone," Katsura suddenly ordered everyone, breaking up the crowd. "Mina-chan, can you please help the ladies in the kitchen?" Katsura turned toward me, giving me an order.

"Hai," I nodded, hurrying to the kitchen.

Things just weren't the same after that. Working in the kitchen was rather dull, duller than it usually was. Everything was just going so slow ever since that event. The adrenaline I felt during that lesson, it felt rather pleasing, but something was missing. The rest of the day just went by so slow, with me helping out in the kitchen and doing chores around the inn just as the other women did. It was just like back on the farm, minus the watering the plants and all that of course. Sure I had things to do, but it was rather tedious. Clean this, sweep that, I don't know how I could've lived that life again. I thought I would never escape the duties of the house, the 'duties of the woman'. Why can't men work around the house and us women have to do everything? Why should society have to revolve around them, heck, society would crumble without us to take care of everything.

Anyway, getting back to my story, night fell before I knew it. As soon as I was done with all the chores the innkeeper gave me, it was time to sleep. Again, I had to share a room with Kenshin, but I didn't mind, I actually preferred to.

"How was your day, Mina-dono?" Kenshin asked as soon as I entered our room.

Kenshin and some of the Cho Shu soldiers went out earlier in the day, probably picking some fights with the Shinsengumi. All of them returned, luckily, but I still worried about Kenshin while he was gone.

"Tiring," I groaned, plopping face first into my futon, "if I didn't know better, I would think that I was back on the farm. Is it really that hard for you guys to fold your futons and keep things clean?"

"I'm sorry, Mina-dono," Kenshin apologized, unaware my last sentence was a joke, "I'll make sure everyone cleans up after themselves, that I will."

"I was only kidding, baka," I used my remaining strength to nudge his shoulder. "It's not your fault, it's the innkeeper. She's such a clean freak."

"In any case, shouldn't you save up whatever energy you have for tomorrow," Kenshin told me, tucking me in with my futon's blanket, "who knows what the innkeeper will have clean tomorrow, maybe the bathhouse?" Kenshin joked.

"Very funny, Kenshin," I chuckled, "oh man, that would be hell."

"Good night, Mina-dono," Kenshin patted my hair before he went to his futon.

"Night, Kenshin...," I found myself dozing off.

What seemed like a second later, I had found myself somewhat refreshed, I had just been awakened after a short rest, but instead of being awakened by the morning sun, the words "It's the enemy!" rang through my ears. Immediately I darted to my feet, turning to the balcony to find the stars and moon still waiting for the sun.

"Himura-san, wake up!" two Cho Shu men suddenly slid the doors of our room open.

"I'm awake," I turned to the corner of our room to find the samurai already prepared for battle. "What's the situation?" Kenshin asked the men, fastening the two swords on his belt.

"Three of those damned Mibu Wolves have found their way here," one of the men reported to Kenshin, "we think they're still in the area. The others have already gone outside and began patrolling the west and south roads of the inn. Himura, we need you're help to locate these individuals."

"All right, I'll secure the perimeter of the inn," Kenshin informed the men, "you two, take the east roads all the way up to the bridge."

"Hai," the two men nodded.

"Wait, what about me?" I asked Kenshin, stopping him before he left the door.

"Oh, right," Kenshin had almost forgotten about me. "Shinji," Kenshin looked to one of the Cho Shu men, "you stay here and guard Mina-dono."

"Hai," the man on the right nodded.

"Let's go," Kenshin looked to the other man and the two bolted out of the room.

As he ran, I felt our red string being unwound. I would have followed once the string had been made taut, following him out of my own free will, but that had not been the case. Instead I remained here, with a man I wouldn't know for very long.

"Has everyone else left the inn?" I asked Shinji as he sat in the corner of the room, remaining calm.

"Almost everyone," Shinji answered, removing a tobacco pipe from his kimono's sleeve, "the only ones left here are some injured and the women. I'm the only soldier here that can still fight."

"Well that's reassuring...," I bit my lip, thinking that we're probably going to die if those three men came in here.

"We've got one," I heard a yell from outside.

"All right, two more to go," I heard another.

"Don't worry, Mina-chan," Shinji took a puff of his pipe, "at this rate they'll find the other guys before you know it. Smoke?" Shinji offered me the pipe.

"I've never done this before," I took the pipe into my hand.

I took the thin end into my mouth and inhaled. Clouds of tobacco pushed through my throat, too many clouds in fact that I coughed many of them out. It left my eyes watering and my heart racing at the speed Kenshin ran when he left.

"How can you smoke this?!" I coughed, returning the pipe to Shinji's hand.

"You inhaled too much," Shinji pushed the pipe into my hand, "now try again, this time only inhale a quarter of what you did."

I looked at the black object for a second, the smell of the crop inside astounded me, so I tried once again, this time following Shinji's recommendation. The clouds skimmed through my throat, as smooth as a baby's skin. The clouds then escaped my mouth a few seconds later, it felt good, though my heart was still throbbing after.

"Like that?" I asked, returning the pipe to his hand.

"Hai," Shinji nodded, "but you can keep it." Shinji pushed the object back to my hand, "it's more suited for a warrior like you than an average grunt like me."

"Why do you say I'm a warrior?" I asked, taking another puff of tobacco into my lungs.

"That feat with the Battousai earlier," Shinji explained, "no one has every beat him, even during training. You were the first person to do so, and it was only your first battle too, you'd be an incredible soldier if you were in the front lines with us."

"Would I?" I asked, taking a final puff of the pipe.

"That's the second one," I heard Kenshin's voice from outside, "one left."

"That's going by pretty fast," Shinji looked outside, "it should be safe now, don't you think?"

"Hai," I answered as I placed the pipe into my kimono's sleeve pocket.

"I'm pretty hungry," Shinji suddenly changed subjects, "wanna get something in the kitchen?"

"Sure," I agreed, my stomach also empty.

We treaded downstairs and to our amazement, everyone still in the inn was asleep. The kitchen was empty, no food was left, I guess all the men must've finished off all the food for dinner, leaving no leftovers.

"Gee, nothing left," Shinji looked into the empty pots.

"If you want, I could fix some miso soup," I told Shinji, "I just have to get some radishes from the storage."

"Can you do that?" Shinji asked, but I was already out the door.

I walked through the backyard and headed for the storage, I soon found Shinji following me. I pried open the storage shed; it took a while as the door was a bit frozen. There were the radishes all right, along with other vegetables. I grabbed two radishes and Shinji and I began to make our way back inside. Before we could slide the door open, a small 'creak' echoed from the corner of the inn's fence. I remained paralyzed for a few seconds, knowing who had just jumped the fence, it was the remaining Shinsengumi member who had found this place.

"Shinsengumi!" I jumped back as soon as I saw the man.

"Mina-chan, stay back!" Shinji drew his sword on the man.

"Another Cho Shu dog!" the man removed a scarlet blade resting on his belt.

"Kyah!" Shinji dove toward the man with his blade leading the way.

The enemy smirked as he took a step to the side. In the next second, I found a geyser of crimson emitting from Shinji's side. Shinji fell toward the icy moss, painting it with a ruby red where he lay.

"And what do we have here?" the Wolf flashed his fangs at me.

"Mina-chan, run!" Shinji uttered, using the remainder of his strength to tell me those words.

I should've ran, but out of instinct, I grabbed the bokken I left against the wall this morning, pointing it at my adversary. I felt the adrenaline from earlier flow through me again as I stood there ready to strike.

"What're you trying to pull," the Wolf smirked, whipping the blood off his blade, "you think you can pierce a wolf's heart with a splinter?!"

The Wolf dove toward me, his steel blade meeting my wooden one. The blade was engulfed in oak for a second, but then it was free once it slid through the other half of my weapon. Dropping the remainder of my sword, I began to step back, falling after my heel met with Shinji's arm.

"Trying to play hero," the villain laughed, "women are pathetic! You should've stayed inside and gotten things ready for the morning, missy, but your role change will be rewarded with death!"

"I hope you know how stupid you sound," I spat at the man, my hand crawling toward Shinji's blade, "because those will be the last words that escape your mouth!" my finger's wrapped around the blade at the very instant.

Out of impulse, I slashed upward at the same moment my foe had slashed down. The steel slabs met, crashing against each other. I managed to push his back, and then I quickly found myself leaping into the heavens as I did earlier.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," I screamed as I plummeted back down, "Ryu-Tsui-Sen!"

I brought my blade down upon the man's skull, splitting it and his torso in two. A flood of crimson gushed after, this one more violent than the one that came from Shinji. The warm liquid sprayed onto my skin and clothing, painting me a ruby red. I stood there, looking at the remains of the Wolf, paralyzed. Was I sad, did I feel regret, I still don't know what I had felt that day. Moments later, a crowd had been drawn around me once more. I heard their whispers, words such as "amazing" or sentences that began with "How was she...". I just stood there, staring into the frozen pool of red, the iced scarlet reflecting the image of the crowd. I saw one member push his way through the others, it was Kenshin. I just knew that if anyone was going to find this unbelievable, it would be him.

"Mina-dono...," Kenshin just stared at me once he pushed his way through, also paralyzed by my action, "did you...?"

"I...slew him," three words were able to escape from my mouth. "I...," the grip around my blade loosened, sending it to the crimson-painted snow.

"Mina-dono...?" Kenshin took a few steps toward me, showing me his concern with a somewhat saddened face.

"Gomen...," I shut my eyes, shielding them from his.

"You...did what you had to do," the feel of Kenshin's arms suddenly wrapped around me. "I'm proud of you, Mina-dono."

"Kenshin...?" I found my arms wrapping around his body.

We stood there, our bodies covered in the scarlet liquid of life. I had taken my first dip in the Sanzu River, a river which rests on my new path in life, the path of violence.

  
  


Chapter 4 Liner Notes

  
  


Mina's got an attitude problem in this story, what's with that?!- Before she took up Kenshin's training, she had a bad temper. She still has a little bit of it in the Twin Dragon Arc (it was hinted when she kidnaped Kenji). Once she hangs around Kenshin more, she'll start to act like him as well, including his way of speech, which is seen when she narrates the story at certain points.

  
  


What does 'baka' mean?- 'Baka' can be translated as 'idiot' or 'stupid' or anything else around that area.

  
  


What's the Sanzu River?- The Sanzu River is believed to be the river the dead must pass in order to go to the afterlife. I think this is a Shinto Religion belief, but I'm not so sure, I got this information from the video notes in the Excel Saga anime, DVD 1.

  
  


(Next time: "Fate had interfered in her life, pulling her strings as if she were a puppet, pulling her into my world, a world that could destroy her. She has already bit into the ripened fruit of blood, the bitter juice enticing her with something she never should have felt. How am I to protect this frail creature, how can I avoid the same destiny that fell upon my first love...?" -Himura Kenshin)

  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was it? I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far. Things will only get darker as this fic goes on. So if you've enjoyed the story so far, please leave me a review, not a flame please. Oh yeah, the more reviews I get, the more chapters I'll upload during an update. So far, about one-fourth of the story is written so far, it's just that I haven't posted them yet. So yeah, leave me a review please, and suggestions for future story events are welcome too.


	6. My Brother, My Lover

Author's Note: Well, no action in this one, just angst. Personally, I think this fic is much better than my other one, Twin Dragon Arc, I like depressing stories more for some reason. Anyway, let's just get on with the show.

  
  


Chapter 5: My Lover, My Brother

  
  


A few hours later, we held a tiny funeral for Shinji, it would be the first of many that I would attend. In the very spot where he died, we all stood in a circle, around his body as it lay inside a large pine crate. The corpse was engulfed by the pine thankfully, preventing tears from escaping from my eyes if I were to see his face again. I was in the front row of the mourners, I chose to stand there, he died for my sake, it was the least I could do. To my side, Kenshin stood, a stern look on his face. I knew he wanted to cry, I saw it in his eyes, the clear liquid just couldn't escape. I offered him my right hand, he took it into his left, gripping it tightly, very firm, you couldn't pull the two of us apart even if you had all the people on the world tugging at us from both ends. The grip must have prevented the tears from falling, it did for me. Katsura took to the front and begun a small prayer, a prayer I could not hear for I was recalling the event over and over again.

"Mina-chan, run!" his words continued running through my mind.

"I didn't run," I told myself, "I couldn't run, I can never run. I had to fight," I spoke to the crate that held Shinji, "if I had not fought, you would not have been avenged. You died because of me, Shinji-san," my grip on Kenshin's hand tightened, "if only we had not succumbed to hunger, you would not have ended up like this, but you're gone now, because of my stupid suggestion!" the tears suddenly broke out of their invisible seal, streaking down my cheeks.

"Mina-dono," Kenshin turned to me, wiping the tears from my face with his free hand, "crying doesn't befit a woman such as yourself, that it doesn't, so smile. I'm sure Shinji-dono would have wanted to see your smile instead of your tears in an occasion like this."

"How would you know?" I sniffled as I gazed back into my own pitiful reflection from Kenshin's lavender eyes.

"When I brought you here the other night," Kenshin turned back to Shinji's coffin, "Shinji-dono had stopped me after I placed your bowl into the kitchen sink. He asked me in these exact words, 'Who's that beautiful girl you brought with you, Himura-san?', and I answered, 'That beautiful girl is tracing down the one on the other end of the Red String.' Mina-dono, I believe Shinji-dono had fallen in love with you at first sight, that I do. In fact, yesterday before you awakened, he asked if he could help with your training. After you defeated me, I don't think you noticed the way he looked at you as you left the area, I could see those calf eyes staring directly at you, those eyes left unblinking. I chose Shinji-dono to guard you earlier so that you two may get closer together, and if my actions lead to this incident, I apologize."

Shinji cared for me, that kind of explained why he left me his tobacco pipe. It looked somewhat expensive, a nice smooth black tube with gold laced on the thin and thick parts of the pipe. To be honest, I really didn't feeling anything for Shinji, maybe a feeling of friendship, but nothing more. Kenshin had brought up the Red String when he spoke with Shinji, and he was right, I was tracing down the one on the other end, and it wasn't Shinji, much to his dismay.

"Kenshin, why can't you see that you're the one on the other end of the string?" I tried to ask, but the words just never came.

There was no doubt in my mind back then that Kenshin was the one who shares the Red String with me. I guess he just couldn't see that, he just couldn't see the love I had for him. I can't blame him, in a time such as then, who couldn't think about the violence that occurred everyday.

The ceremony was over before I knew it, the crowd slowly began to break as Kenshin and I remained still, standing in the same spot when the funeral took place.

"Mina-dono," Kenshin suddenly blurted, "in honor of Shinji-dono's death, I will be the one to protect you in his place."

"Kenshin, I...," I stood there, my arm now wrapped around his, "I would be proud to have you as my new guardian, although...," my voice began to trail away.

"Although what?" Kenshin asked, his eyes peered back into mine.

"Can you stop calling me 'Mina-dono'," I asked, my arm scratching an itch around my arm that never existed, "it makes me seem like I'm an old woman."

"Oh, gomen," Kenshin broke out one of his trademark smiles, "I'll do that, Mina."

Those words weren't the ones I really wanted to say, they just came out from the back of my mind. What I really wanted to say was something like "Kenshin, I love you" or "although you are my guardian, could you also be the one who will spend the rest of your life with me?" The words never came, I just don't know why. Perhaps it was because I was shy, or maybe I was scared of rejection, I was just killing myself, little by little by not telling him how I felt, and it still kills me in the present.

The rest of the day was slow just as the last. I had to work in the inn again, despite the events that had happened. Everyone had returned to their duties as if Shinji's death never occurred. I couldn't see how everyone could just forget about another within seconds, I just didn't comprehend that back then. As I swept the floors, arranged the flowers, and scrubbed the walls, I still saw Shinji's death play in my mind. The memory just wouldn't erase itself as it did with everyone else. I continued to blame myself for his death each time I saw the re-enactment. The blaming first began with a cry inside my head, then a whisper, and finally, a scream.

"IT'S MY FAULT!" I screamed, bringing all the activities in the area to a halt.

Again I had become the center of attention, all those blank eyes staring into mine. The tears came once more, I just couldn't deal with it. I broke down again, only this time, my cries were widely heard as I sunk to the hard wood floor.

"Mina, are you okay?" Kenshin had come to my aid again, his hand perched atop my shoulder.

"Himura-kun, take her back to her room," I heard Katsura order.

"Hai," I heard before I found myself being carried back to my room.

"Kenshin, it's all my fault," I repeated as we went up the steps, "it's because of my stupid suggestion that Shinji was killed."

"Mina, stop blaming yourself," Kenshin tried to soothe me with his words, sliding the sakura blossom door to our room as he did so, "I'm sure that..."

"Sure of what?!" I pushed myself out of his arms, causing another eruption of tears to fall. "How would you be sure of how he would have felt, how he would have reacted?! You don't know anything, Kenshin, all you can do is make stupid predications that you think that person felt, you base it all on how they acted when they were alive, but even that doesn't give enough basis on your goddamn predictions!"

It hurt me when I yelled at him, but it hurt me even more that he still didn't know how I felt. It felt nice when he said he would be my guardian earlier that day, but it still didn't make up for the fact he had basically nothing to base his predictions on. Kenshin, that moron, what did he know? I thought that his predictions were nothing but things to make others feel better, yet later in life, I would learn their true meaning.

Kenshin was silent after I had said those words. His violet eyes turned to the floor as a frown fell onto his face. I can tell he was saddened by my words, yet I still stood there, still angry. My fingers balled into fists, my chest heaving back and forth due to my yelling, the tears were there again, locked away inside my eyes, or perhaps locked due to my teeth being bared. I was very angry at him, and at myself. After a few seconds of trying to regain my breath, I broke the silence with a stomp, breaking him out of his sorry state.

"What are you doing?" Kenshin asked after as I took to the side of our room, collecting all my belongings and stuffing them into my bag.

"What does it look like," I growled as I stuffed one of my kimonos into the bag, "I'm packing my stuff so I can get the hell outta here!"

"Where are you going?" Kenshin asked, giving me a worried look on his face. "You're not serious, are you?"

"I'm afraid so," I took up my bags, still angered, "although I don't exactly know where I'm going. Maybe Shanghai, they're not feeling the effects of this war," I spat as I walked toward the door.

"You can't go," Kenshin tried to stop me, following my path as I tried to leave the door, "please reconsider."

"I've overstayed my welcome, have I not?" I explained, a little cooled down, but still answering with a growl. "Well I guess this is good-bye. Thanks for everything, Kenshin!" I grunted, continuing to head out the door.

"Mina, wait!" Kenshin planted himself in front of the door, creating a barrier with his arms. "I can't let my little sister go anywhere, you belong here with me."

"A sister, is that all I meant to him?" I asked myself, my words coming from my mind instead of my mouth.

"But I've just been a burden to you these past days," I calmed down a little more, but I had not lost that feeling of leaving.

"No, you haven't," Kenshin shook his head, "you've just been getting settled in. This is your home, Mina."

"My home...," the words raced through my head, "how can this be my home if I've only lived here for only three days, I don't even know half the people who also live in this 'home', and yet..."

"...Do you mean that?" I began to reconsider.

"Weeks before I met you, I lost someone dear to me," Kenshin admitted, liquid suddenly dripping from his usually cheerful eyes, "and I don't want that to happen again. You are Himura Mina, my younger sister, and as your older brother, I can't allow you to leave."

Himura Mina, that was the first time I would be called that name. My older brother was to be Kenshin, the man I loved. I asked myself if I would be able to live with him only to be loved as a sister and nothing more.

"Could I live with that?" I asked myself under my own breath. "Could I live being his sister and nothing more? Can I only love him as a sister would her brother? What choice do I have?"

"...Brother," I dropped my bags, wrapping my arms around my new family.

"Welcome home, Sister," Kenshin wrapped his arms around me.

To love me as sister, and to love him as a brother, I could live with that, yet in relationships such as this, this sibling love may even evolve into true love. Fate always has an odd way of coming up top, and no matter how long it takes, Fate will catch up with us, Fate will keep us bounded together.

"Brother Kenshin...," I cried, my face planted on his shoulder, "I...I love you...," I said under my breath.

  
  


Chapter 5 Liner Notes

  
  


(There's nothing to explain, so let's just get on with the story.)

  
  


(Next time: "Despite what I feel, she continues to bite deeper into the crimson fruit, drenching her soul with the bitter nectar. She bites again, her body becoming suddenly paralyzed into stone. I cannot help her, only she can break free from this curse..." -Himura Kenshin)

  
  
  
  


Author's Note: And this is how Mina adopts the Himura name, I couldn't really expand on it in 'Twin Dragon Arc', but 'Crimson String' allows me to fill all the holes and stuff. Anyway, be so kind an leave me a review, not a flame please. Oh, and I'll gladly take recommendations for future story events, as long as it doesn't change what I have planned for later chapters. And if there's any questions that were left in 'Twin Dragon Arc', ask the questions here, I'll answer them via e-mail or during later chapters.


	7. A Dip in the Sanzu

Author's Note: Well, let's see what we have in store for Mina this time. Yes, there will be action in this one, it's a little violent though, but not enough to get an R rating I think. I'll warn you when the rating will change though. Anyway, two popular villains from the Rurouni Kenshin series make an appearance here, read on and find out who they are.

  
  


Chapter 6: A Dip in the Sanzu

  
  


Since that night, I never even considered leaving my new brother again. For the rest of that day, I seemed to have forgotten Shinji. I was back to my normal self in no time, but in doing so, I had to return to my "womanly" duties. Cleaning the inn was such a bother; it always was. Luckily, Kenshin decided to help me with a few of my chores, namely washing the dishes and the laundry. As we did those things, we talked about things; a lot of things, namely his childhood and life before coming to Kyoto. I couldn't speak to him about mine, it just didn't feel right at the time for some odd reason.

"That Master Hiko sounds like a cruel person, Brother," I told him as I hung one of the soldier's kimonos on the laundry rope.

Brother. It sounded weird when I called him that, that it did, but I told myself that if I kept up this act, I'll be bearing the name of Himura as his wife instead of his sister.

"He was at times," Kenshin sighed as he rubbed a hamaka against the washing board, "but there were some good times. He did save me from those bandits back then, so I am grateful to him."

"I see," I said as I saw sorrow trapped in his eyes again. "Kenshin," I decided to change the subject, "who was this dear person that you lost a short while ago?"

"Baka," I mentally kicked myself, "he's sad enough right now, why the hell did you ask him that?!"

"That person...," Kenshin began to answer, his eyes fixed on the soap sitting in the laundry bucket, "was my wife...Yukishiro Tomoe."

"You had...a wife?!" I said shocked, dropping the piece of laundry in my arms at the same time.

I couldn't believe it. The man I loved, was previously married, and at such a young age at that. Again, I felt angry as I had when I tried to leave, but I also felt sad for his loss. I'll admit it, I was jealous of that woman, a woman I had never meet, jealous because she had my Kenshin before me.

"She was older than me," Kenshin continued, still sulking, "I was the one responsible for her depression, and her death..."

"What do you mean?" I said puzzled, showing him my sympathy, but hiding my anger at the same time.

"She was engaged to someone else before she married me," Kenshin explained, shutting his eyes so tears couldn't escape. "The one who gave me one of my scars was her fiancé. I spilled that man's blood. That man was named Kiyosato Akira."

"Then if you killed her love, why did she marry you?" I asked, kicking myself again for asking such a rude question.

"It was about a year later that I met Tomoe," Kenshin answered, shutting his eyes tighter as he continued, "she saw me slaughter a ninja in the street, and fainted as a result. I took her back to the inn, just as I did with you. The next day, she started working at the inn, and she continued to do so until the Ikedya Affair. After that incident, we hid out in the country as husband and wife, although it was an arranged marriage. On a winter morning, after we admitted our love for each other, she disappeared into the forest. It was then that I learned that I killed her first love after I read her diary. Her diary said, 'I will avenge Akira's life with the Battousai's death', but in the last page of her diary, it read, 'Good-bye, my second love'. I chased after her, despite the emotional damage I had just suffered, but in the process I..." his voice began to trail away, droplets of water escaping the tight seal on his eyes.

"You what?" I asked, placing my right hand on his shoulder.

"I killed her!" his voice broke down, along with the seal on his eyes.

"Naze, Kenshin," I asked and again, I kicked myself for the third time for what seemed like a period of only five minutes, "why did you...?"

"I was in a fight with one of her captors," his voice still broke down, tears streaming down his cheeks, "I was blinded. I struck downward and it was then that I regained my sight. I had struck down my target with my blade, but I found that Tomoe had tried to shield me from her captor's attack. Both fell to the icy ground, and a knife in Tomoe's hand cut me across the face, giving me my second scar. That was my first love that I slew, the woman I loved was killed by my own hands!" Kenshin cried, his tears knowing falling like waterfalls.

This was the first time I had seen Kenshin cry. At that very moment, I briefly forgot about Tomoe, focusing all of my attention to my brother. He began sulking to the ground, his knees pressing against the icy ground, the drops from the rivers on his cheeks shattering as they hit the floor. I had to do something to cheer him up, something to console him, but what? There was only one thing I could do...

"It's not your fault, Kenshin," I assured him, wrapping my arms around him, "I'm sure she knew you didn't mean it when your blade struck her. If she truly did love you, I'm sure she has forgiven you for your mistake."

I had found myself giving blind predictions as Kenshin did earlier. I had to kick myself again for that, but it seemed to calm my brother down a bit. The tears began to dry, and his whimpering had stopped. It had worked, even though I did not replace Tomoe.

"You're right, Mina," Kenshin sniffed, "I shouldn't be so depressed. Tomoe must've forgiven me."

"Mina, you're such an idiot," I told myself in my head, "but then again, if a stupid speech like that could cheer Kenshin up then..."

"Shut up, brain, or I'll poison you with some sake," I insulted myself under my breath, "don't you ever insult Kenshin!"

"Himura-kun," Katsura suddenly bursted outside.

"Hai, Katsura-dono," Kenshin rose to his feet, wiping away the remaining water from his eyes.

"We're moving now," Katsura ordered, "the first squad of the Shinsengumi is currently in shambles due to a few members turning traitor and that Okita Soushi has fallen unconscious due to his disease. Our spies have reported that they are currently located around the Toji Temple. Now's the perfect time to attack them and rid of the first squad once and for all."

"Understood, sir," Kenshin said as he took his sword off the wall.

"Kenshin, don't go," I could still feel his sadness, "in the state you're in..."

"I'll be all right, that I will," Kenshin assured me, but I still felt an uneasy feeling in his voice, "it will just take a while before I feel better."

"Take me with you," I blurted out suddenly.

"I can't do that," Kenshin shook his head, "do you know what would happen if anything happened to my little sister? I'll go through the same trauma I had when I lost Tomoe."

"But I'm not Tomoe," I told my brother, "I can fight! I've witnessed more of your attacks during your practice session with the other soldiers today, I know I can do them too, so take me with you."

"No," Kenshin said, his back facing me, "now wait here. I assure you that I'll be okay, that I will. Just finish the rest of the laundry without me, I promise I'll make this up to you."

With those words, Kenshin bolted for the door, following the marches of his allies. I still sat there in the snowed yard, my eyes still fixed where my brother once stood. The impression of his body was still there, still warm. I noticed a sudden sparkle in the snow where he had sulked. His tears, they had melted, seeping into the powder floor, becoming part of the frozen mass. Fate took it's toll on me at that moment, images of Kenshin flashing through my mind. I saw him in the middle of a wasteland, corpses lined the entire ground as streams of blood were aligned beside them. The clanging of steel had engulfed the area, hordes of soldiers striking each with various forms of metal were found left and right. He was in the middle of it all, standing there, sword drawn, but nothing more. His head was being pulled to the floor as he stood there, his blade almost slipping out of his hand. And then it happened, a black figure rose over my brother from behind. His shadow began to engulf Kenshin, Kenshin still left it unnoticed and then... 

"I can't allow anything like that to happen," I muttered after the vision.

It wasn't long that I decided to take action. I quickly returned to my feet and bolted back inside the inn. I turned to each corner in the inn, looking for a weapon I could bring with me. Luckily, half of the Cho Shu men were still here, so there was a whole wall in the dining room with swords lying against them. I grabbed the nearest blade by it's red oak sheath, pulling the glimmering steel out to check it's condition. Not a scratch; the blade must've been new. I turned back to the wall and grabbed it's matching wakezashi, making my way toward the exit after.

"Hey wait, that's my stuff!" I heard a soldier's cry as I marched outside.

"I'll return them when I'm done," I assured the man as I ran out of the inn.

The sun had begun to set immediately as soon as I shut the inn's door. It was getting dark, and colder than it was a minute ago. My feet began to freeze as I stood in the musty air, so immediately I began to run down the streets, heading toward the Toji Temple. I dashed down many streets and corners as I headed toward the temple, passing many spectators and citizens, all of them pointing at me as I ran by. All I heard from those people were things like "why is that girl carrying a sword?" or "are the Ishin Shishi so low on men that they have to hire women now?". I had not time to argue with those people, I had to find Kenshin as soon as possible. I guess I must've ran for about an hour or so until I got lost, the sun had already been blinded by the pale glow of the moon. My entire body was almost dragging to the floor, I continued to heave my chest back and forth to regain the breath I had lost, but it didn't seem to be helping.

"Great! You've really done it this time, Mina!" I stomped using what seemed like the rest of my strength, pushing my back against the closest wall after, allowing myself to slide to the ground.

As soon as I said those words, I heard a scream from a nearby corner. My energy had suddenly returned to me at that very moment, shooting me off the ground and back to my feet. Clutching the wrapping on my katana's sheath, I dashed toward the scene. I had found the temple, along with the first Shinsengumi squad and the Cho Shu soldiers.

"Mina, what are you doing here?!" I found my brother before me as soon as I turned the corner.

Then it happened, a figure rose above Kenshin from behind. The Wolf's steel fang was bared, the outer curve of the sword was illuminating with the moon's glow. My heart began to race, it was just as I saw back in the inn. Time began to delay the next few seconds, the curved steel falling down upon Kenshin who was totally unaware of the Wolf behind him, his attention fixed upon me instead of the oncoming danger.

"Look out!" I warned him as the Wolf dove at him.

With all the strength in my legs, I dashed toward his attacker and drew my katana. The curved slab slid out of the oak with ease, it's cold steel engraving itself in the Wolf's ribs. I heard his cry as I continued to push the blade inward, and it soon stopped as the blade found it's way out through his other side. Time had reverted back to it's normal state after, I found myself again drenched in scarlet fluid, life's elixir shooting from a geyser that had just erupted on the man I had just slain. Kenshin was once again paralyzed by my action, surprised I had just killed once more, without hesitation. But heart's pace began to drop after, the guilt of slaying another must've weighed my heart even more. It didn't take long for me to forget the guilt however, in a few seconds, I had already forgotten my actions. Pushing the body away with my free hand after the shock had subsided, I ran forward to find another Wolf. I swung my blade upward, leaping into the air at the same time.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Shou-Sen!" I screamed as I sliced upward, slitting the skin off his neck before the blade pierced his lower jaw.

This time, there was no hesitation after I killed the recent Wolf. Wiping the crimson liquid from my blade, I turned back to Kenshin, the display of shock was still on his face when I turned toward him.

"Are you all right, Kenshin?" I asked, my words breaking him out of his trance.

"Mina, I told you to stay at the inn," Kenshin quickly changed the subject, "it's too dangerous here!"

"I thought you'd be an emotional wreck after you told me about Tomoe," I told my brother, catching the surprise attack of another Shinsengumi soldier with my sword at the same time.

"Retreat! They have reinforcements!" I heard Katsura cry as he and other fellow Cho Shu men ran by, a pack of Mibu Wolves on their tail.

"Katsura-dono, I'll hold them off," Kenshin called to his leader, readying his katana once more. "Mina, you go with them!" Kenshin ordered, his eyes turning toward the opposition.

"No, I'm fighting too," I told him, lunging my sword through the same soldier who tried to attack me.

"But Mina...," Kenshin continued his failed attempts of influence.

"Kyah!" I screamed, my sword leading the way to the enemy.

The steel tip plunged through the neck of the first Wolf that came in my way, a geyser of crimson spraying onto my frozen-sweated face. Pulling the blade upward, the skull of the Wolf split into two, and two more Wolves charged at me. Kicking the corpse of their comrade toward them, I suddenly found debris fly from behind, crashing into the two Wolves I pushed back.

"Do-Ryu-Sen," I looked back to Kenshin as he muttered the attack name.

The remaining Wolves began to step back, I saw the fear in the eyes. All of them, I could see it, except one. His blade still drawn, he had a sinister grin on his sharp-pointed face. His hideous simper looked as if they could turn one into stone, his skin was as tanned and built like stone, and those weird blue eyes didn't help either. Such a monstrous sight he was, I found my knees suddenly locking as I gazed into those petrifying eyes.

"Get Captain Okita out of here, Jin'eh," one of the Wolves ordered the frightening-looking man as he carried an unconscious young man.

"Heh heh heh," the man simply chuckled.

His laugh knocked me out of my paralysis, nearly knocking me to the floor instead. Luckily my other foot caught me as I began to stagger, but I was once again frozen place after I had regained my balance.

"What's so funny?!" another surviving Wolf asked the man, a stutter in his voice.

"You can all die for all I care," the man laughed as he quickly swung his blade on his two closest allies. The ruby red splattered everywhere, that same smirk on his face as he spilled their blood.

"Kenshin, why did that man...?" my lips suddenly froze just as the rest of my body.

"I don't know," Kenshin answered, his voice still calm as he spoke.

"Heh heh heh," the man chuckled again, running from the scene afterward.

"Get back here, Jin'eh!" several Wolves began chasing after the traitor.

"Wait, don't leave us here with the Battousai!" the remaining Wolves called to their allies.

"Cowards," I heard a deep yet calm voice come from behind Kenshin and me.

"Saito Hajime," my brother recognized the man.

Before us stood another pack of Wolves, their numbers greater than what they were before. The Alpha Dog of this pack had raven black hair, four long bangs sticking out in front and narrow yellow eyes, nearly as frightening as their traitor. His katana was held in his left hand, at the very end, his right holding the tip of the blade. He was arched forward, I could tell his stance was preparing for a one-handed lunge.

"Mina, if you insist on helping me, than go after that man that betrayed his allies," Kenshin ordered, his teeth grinding themselves between the spaces of his words.

"Shouldn't those guys who went after them take care of it?" I asked.

"Just go!" Kenshin ordered again, pushing me toward the direction they went.

"Okay, I'm going!" I nodded, running in the direction the Wolves went.

I didn't want to go after that man, I wouldn't have if Kenshin hadn't ordered me. I don't know why I followed his order, maybe I wanted to prove to him that I can be of some use to him in some way.

I followed the tracks of the Wolves, but they suddenly disappeared after their path crossed the river. There weren't any tracks on the other side of the river either, so they had to have run down the river. I jumped in, luckily it was shallow and not frozen. The water was up to my ankles, if I didn't begin to move my feet, they would've gotten frostbite if I stood there a minute longer. I looked in both directions for the men, finding only darkness in both directions.

"Kenshin just did this to get rid of me!" I pouted, kicking a splash of water upward in the process.

Then I realized something, some of that water had a hint of scarlet. I looked behind me to find a line of liquid in the same color. I followed the path to the north, and there I had found the three Wolves from before, all face first in the river, and the traitor standing there with a ruby-red blade. I heard his chuckling as stood there, the chuckling soon became a scream of laughter. I began to step back, my body struggling just to move, paralyzed by his presence. It was the first move to mark my escape, but the splash of my step caught the ear of the man.

"What's this?" the man turned toward me, those horrifying dark blue eyes piercing my soul like daggers, "You're that one from before," he began inching toward me as I stood frozen with fear. "Red hair, lavender eyes... you're the Battousai, aren't you? I had no idea that the most feared man in all of Kyoto would be a girl."

"I...I'm not the Battousai," I took some courage to tell the man, "I'm Himura Mina."

"His sister then," the man chuckled again, "then I guess that makes you the Hitokiri Kensai. What a shame, I wanted to fight the Battousai, but I guess I'll have to settle for his sister," the man gave his evil chuckle again.

"Stop that," I took up some more courage, no longer finding myself paralyzed, "that laugh of your's is annoying, so let's get this over with already!" I readied my sword.

"By the way you hold your sword, it looks like you're not used to killing another," the man smirked, "I think you should run away, little girl, a fledgling has no chance against a raven."

"I won't run," I spat, the adrenaline that rushed through my veins during my earlier fight returning at that very moment, "my brother ordered me to go after you and that's what I'm going to do!"

"Well you're determined," the man laughed again, "but it's too late to run now!"

Again my eyes were fixated on his, glaring into those icy pupils. My mind told me turn away, but my instincts told me to remain where I am. I didn't run, couldn't run, in fact, I couldn't even move.

"Nani?!" I suddenly found myself locked in place. "What the hell is this?!" I tried to move again, only to find myself still frozen.

"The Shin-No-Ippou," the man explained, "only I, Udo Jin'eh, can use this technique. Based on your reaction you aren't a very skilled swordsman are you? I guess I'll have to break it for you, by putting you our of your misery!" Jin'eh screamed, his blade in the air, ready to strike down.

  
  


Chapter 6 Liner Notes

  
  


What does 'naze' mean?- 'Naze' is translated into English as 'why'.

  
  


What's the 'Toji Temple'?- The Toji Temple is one of the biggest landmarks in Kyoto, I think it was one of the first Shinto shrines built in Japan.

  
  


When exactly does this fight with Jin'eh occur?- It occurs a few minutes after that flashback Jin'eh had in the episode where he kidnaped Kaoru. The flashback I'm talking about is the one where he killed three Shinsengumi soldiers, Mina arrived on the scene a minute after the three were killed.

  
  


(Next time: "The very red fruit has poisoned me, turning my body into stone, I cannot move, I cannot speak, I cannot breathe. The light to the Sanzu pulls me forward, but the creature born of violence begins to pull me back, pulling me away from my family..." -Himura Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: Well, what did you think? The fight with Jin'eh will conclude in the next chapter, it'll be action-packed. I hope you're enjoying this story, I'm having a blast writing it. So please be kind and leave me a review, not a flame please, remember, the more reviews I get, the more chapters I'll upload during an update. And feel free to leave suggestions on what should happen later or any questions you might have regarding this story or 'Twin Dragon Arc'.


	8. Petrifying Eyes

Author's Note: Well, here we go, the second half of Mina's battle with Jin'eh, it's a bit violent, but still not enough to get an R rating. Maybe the rating will change around chapter 10, but I'll warn you readers a chapter before hand.

  
  


Chapter 7: Petrifying Eyes

  
  


Before my eyes, the crimson blade of Hitokiri Udo Jin'eh began to crash down. Time slowed down between that split second, my blood would have soon tainted his red blade a darker shade. Instead, I screamed, and suddenly I was able to move again. Without even thinking, I brought my blade back up, the two steel slabs screeching once they met each other.

"What's this?!" Jin'eh said surprised, a look of shock on his face as our blades remained locked.

As he stood there still surprised by my action, I broke the two of us away with a swift kick to his stomach. I jumped back as Jin'eh staggered about three steps behind. I readied my sword again as his staggering pushed his body to the ground. Another sinister chuckle escaped his lips, making my hands tighten the grip on my sword.

"Impressive," Jin'eh said as he slowly rose to his feet, "who would have thought a girl like you could've broken through my Shin-No-Ippou. I guess I'll take you more seriously now," he said, the grin never leaving his chiseled face as he readied his sword again.

Instead of waiting him to attack, I decided to take the initiative this time. I ran at him as fast as I could, using my blade to guide me just like the last battle. I lunged nothing but air, with a turn of my head, I found him stepping to the side. He swung his blade from the left toward my torso, but I was able to avoid with a jump back. Upon recovering from the jump, I soon found myself caught in a barrage of steel curves coming from each direction. His sword swings were so fast that I was only able to block one of what looked like three swings in one instant. Each cut that landed barely punctured my skin when it struck. The barrage soon ended when they all seemed to have collected into one large steel slab lunging toward my abdomen. I quickly saw this and took another jump back, jumping a greater distance than the last jump. I landed back on the road surrounding the river, I had the advantage now in terms of terrain level. I looked down on my opponent who still stood in the river, that scary simper still stretched across his face. Suddenly I found the cuts taking their toll on me. Small rivers of ruby began to ooze from small holes in my arms and leg, the liquid painting my white kimono in red.

"Che, you'll pay for that!" I spat, clutching one of my wounds with my left hand.

I jumped back into the air after, this time toward the heavens. I felt the moon's glow as I plummeted back down, my shimmering blade pointed at the petrifying man.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," I screamed as my blade crashed toward the demon's skull, "Ryu-Tsui-Sen!"

Instead of splitting through the sphere-like bone, I found my blade pressed against his again. I pushed my blade with all my weight, but it didn't seem to have any avail. That grin on his face still remained as we engaged in the contest of strength, his eyes trying to pierce mine again like daggers. I failed to succumb into the icy stare, instead, I continued to try to inch my blade at his head. After a few more seconds, he released the grip on his sword and my blade raced toward my target. I missed, finding myself staggering to the ground. I looked to my right as I recovered to find him stepping away, but his hand now gripping the wakezashi on his belt. I jumped back again, but the blade slid across the skin of my belly, another streak of crimson was now painted on my already ruined clothing. I held the fresh wound for a second, until I found the short sword swinging at me again. I caught the attack using my right hand to clutch my blade and my left to clutch my wound. Again that one steel slab began to appear as three, and I tried my hardest to once again counter each one, keeping one arm around the scarlet streak across my stomach. I slowly backed away as I tried to fight back, my blade or his would always be swatted to the side when either of us tried to go on the offensive. I had to do something, but nothing came into mind for I had focused all my thoughts in just blocking Jin'eh's next attack. Then it hit me suddenly, the attack that Kenshin used against those pack of Mibu Wolves. I had only one chance, and I used it once Jin'eh went for a leg swipe with his blade.

"Do-Ryu-Sen!" I screamed as I blocked the attack, pushing our blades in his direction as the tip of mine struck the ground.

Rock and water flew in Jin'eh's direction, the debris cutting him wherever it hit. It was a temporary solution as it gave some more room to recover. We were both on even ground now, his wounds were just as bad as mine, yet it didn't seem like the cuts I gave him had any real effect.

"Heh heh heh," Jin'eh chuckled, despite his injuries he still had that sinister grin on his face.

"This is hopeless," I told my self, "it doesn't seem like anything I've used so far has had any effect. That bastard's probably enjoying this, isn't he?" I looked back to my opponent, exhausted, it didn't seem like I had much strength to continue.

I guess I only had strength for one more attack, and it had to be a good one. I thought back to Kenshin's training earlier, trying to remember any techniques he used. One move I hadn't tried was the Ryu-Kan-Sen, but I wasn't fast enough to pull off that technique correctly at the time. Ryu-Tsui-Shou-Sen would most likely fail since he was already able to block the Ryu-Tsui-Sen and he was faster than me so I wouldn't be able to follow up with the Ryu-Shou-Sen. Then there was his Battoujutsu, although I only saw him use it with the bokken, but from what I saw, it seemed to be his fastest attack.

"What's this," Jin'eh asked as I slid my blade back into it's oak case, "are you giving up now, and just when I was starting to break a sweat."

"No," I answered as the blade clicked when it was snug in place, "I'm planning to end this, and to do that, I'll use this," I placed the sheathed sword at my side, left hand clutching the binding on the sheath, my right hand holding the air around my katana's hilt.

I suppose he had no idea what this stance was since he blindly rushed in. Just as he swung his blade, I drew mine, slicing upward at the same time. The steel pierced his shoulder at the last moment, a small streak of red emitting from his skin after the strike. A small burst at first, my attack didn't seem to have any effect. We stood there frozen for a few moment as my eyes lay fixed on his new wound. Slowly, he lowered his stance and began to laugh again. I still stood there frozen, now with fear, until the crimson oozing from his cut suddenly burst into a geyser, spraying violently, painting the rest of my kimono a blood red. The fear in my body slid away as I slowly turned toward his face, a grin no longer there, now replaced by a cringing face, teeth clenched together and pupils slowly disappearing.

"What was that...?" he asked, his body beginning to collapse.

"Battoujutsu," I answered, sliding the steel back into it's wooden case, "one-shot attacks that revolve around accelerating the blade speed by drawing it from the sheath. But it doesn't matter to you now does it, you're about to cross the Sanzu."

"Heh heh heh," Jin'eh suddenly began to laugh again, holding the cut on his shoulder.

"What's so funny?!" I turned to him, my blade ready to strike again.

"You think it's over just like that," Jin'eh's grin returned just as he rose to his feet.

I clutched the hilt of my blade once more, only to find my opponent turning his back on me.

"I'll withdraw for now," Jin'eh turned back toward me, "however, the next time I see you or your brother, you will die!"

He began to limp away, his hand never leaving his shoulder. I realized I had won once his figure was nothing more than a speck in my eye. A small smile stretched across my face after seeing him disappear, but then I began to feel light-headed. A warm a liquid began to seep down my arms and body, things began to turn a little hazy. I placed my palm in one of the rivers pouring out of my body, clotting the leak for a mere second until it oozed through the spaces in between my fingers. I took my palm in front of my face, I found a large spot of crimson in the middle of it. The damage I had sustained during my fight with Jin'eh was really taking it's toll on me now. Then my legs began to give away, shaking as I slowly plopped to the floor. My head was nestled in the freezing river, the icy water stinging my wounds even further as I lay there. I saw the stars, their shine starting to fade from my eyes. I thought that the heavens had turned their backs on me, I thought I was going to die, and then...

"Mina!" my brother's voice suddenly echoed through my ears.

My head slowly rotated to the east to find him, his clothes just as tattered and tainted as mine. His face displayed a sad expression when he brought his face close to mine. Tears were streaming out of his lavender eyes, I couldn't see them, but I felt them as he held me.

"You have to hold on, Mina, that you do," he cried, "you've got to hold on!"

"Hold on...," I muttered, "I know that...Big Brother...," I fixed a smile across my face, using the rest of my strength to wipe away his tears. "I'll hold on...hold on for...," my voice began to trail away as darkness swallowed me into it's belly.

I was alone after that, in a place I did not know. Everything was black, nothing was there, it was all empty. I stood in darkness, or was I floating, I could not tell. Then a light flashed before my eyes, I soon found myself standing before a river, inside a forest. There was a small dock in the river, many small boats were there, each one filled up. I stepped closer toward the docks to peer into the river's water. A ruby red color was reflected back into my eyes, the very sight frightened me. I then looked ahead of the river to find a field, and on that field was another dock, nothing and no one was there, unfortunately. Then two specks came into view, they were running toward the dock. I narrowed my eyes to get a clearer view of the identities of the specks, and I was surprised to see who they were.

"Mother, Father!" I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Mina!" they called from the other side as they waved their arms at me.

"Come over here and join us!" Father called.

My parents were as healthy as ever. Mother's hand was finally healed, and Father was back to his old self before he had cholera. I dashed for the nearest boat, but upon reaching the dock, I stopped. I looked back to the forest to find a path, a path lined with the bodies of those I had just slain. At the end of that path, I found my brother, crying as he held a figure of me in his arms. I stepped back to the forest, but then I looked back to my parents. The smiles they wore, they must've been happy to see me again, that they were. I looked back to Kenshin, the tears were falling like waterfalls, and then I turned back to my parents, those smiles still on their faces. Was I ready to die? Of course not. If I had chosen my parents, I would not be here to tell this tale. So it was decided, I chose the path of violence, I chose the path to be with my brother, and my love. I walked down that path without looking back, and then, darkness swallowed me once more.

When I had awakened, I found myself staring into a familiar white ceiling lined with bamboo. A soft blanket over my body, and a tatami I knew well, I knew I was home. Slowly I sat up, staring into the sakura door at the end of the room. I felt something binding itself on my wrists and body, I looked down to find my wounds wrapped in bandages. My torn kimono was no where to be found, instead a new white one was clinging to my body. The door slid open, I was glad to see who it was.

"Kenshin!" I quickly ran toward him, wrapping his neck around my arms.

"Oro?!" he said surprised upon my action.

"I couldn't leave you, Kenshin," I cried, "I just couldn't."

"That's good to hear, Mina, that it is," Kenshin simply patted my hair, "I'm glad you're still here."

"I did just as you asked, Kenshin," I released my brother from my hold, "I stopped the man."

"Mina, I shouldn't have asked you to," the smile on his face melted, "that man, Udo Jin'eh, he's killed many of our men and his own without a shred of guilt. I knew if anyone could have stopped him, it would be you. No, that's not the truth," Kenshin suddenly admitted. "Mina, I sent you after him because I thought those three Shinsengumi soldiers would have killed him and left. If that would've happened, I thought you would have just returned to the inn."

"Well I wouldn't have," I told him, "I would've returned to help you, Kenshin. I just couldn't leave you alone there."

"Mina, I thank you for your concern, but the battlefield isn't suited for one like you," Kenshin told me, his eyes unblinking as he told me so, "your hands must never be tainted with blood."

"But they already are," I showed him the spot on my palm where I clutched my wound, "I've killed already. I chose the path of violence just so I can be with you, Kenshin, and it's too late to travel back, I'm too far into it now. All I can do now is continue on the path I've chosen."

"You're very insistent, that you are," Kenshin sighed as he rose to his feet. "All right, you win, I'll let you join the fight."

"Really?!" I asked, jumping out of my futon and onto my feet.

"Let's go see Katsura-dono to register you as a soldier," Kenshin ordered, leading me to our leader.

Chapter 7 Liner Notes

  
  


Notes on Mina's Battoujutsu- If you can recall, Jin'eh lost to Kenshin's Battoujutsu in episode 7. Jin'eh was struck with the same attack with Mina's sword, only that during his battle with Mina he did not know about Battoujutsu attacks. It was because of his battle with Mina that he was able to dodge the first swing of Kenshin's Sou-Ryu-Sen, but what he did not know about was the swing with the sheath that followed after the blade attack as Mina said Battoujutsu are compromised of one-shot attacks, so Jin'eh thought this would always apply, but Kenshin second attack was a surprise. I guess Mina gave Kenshin a helping hand in his battle with Jin'eh then.

  
  


(Next time: "Pulled from my frozen state, I am pulled to yet another obstacle. Hair as brown as rust and eyes as dark as the night, Fate has entwined me with another with a string as black as her heart. Hiding behind a mask of happiness painted by the blood of her victims, she is as cold as winter, but as warm as the summer, a double-bladed sword she is, a sword by the name of Azumi Shion..." -Himura Mina) 

  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was it? Be kind and leave me a review then, not a flame. So in the next chapter we have a character who never made her way to the 'Twin Dragon Arc', Azumi Shion, she'll play a rather large role in the entire story. Oh, and why don't you read that story while you're waiting for an update, although it's not written in the same type of format as this fic and was written about three years ago when my writing skills were kinda dull. Anyway, please review me, but don't flame me.


	9. Shion of the Spear

Author's Note: Well, what can I say, I might not be able to update as much now that I got plenty of work to do because of school. I hope you guys are enjoying this fic so far, those who read it anyway. Anyway, I'm also looking for a pre-reader for this story, I don't need one for Twin Dragon Arc, I'll post the rest of that probably sometime this week, so if you're interested, leave me a review or e-mail. In this chapter I introduce to you a new character, Azumi Shion, she'll play a huge role later in the story. The beginning's kinda slow, but whatever, let's get to the story now!

  
  
  


Chapter 8: Shion of the Spear

  
  
  


Kenshin had brought me to Katsura's seat in the dining hall. They spoke for a while as I just sat in the corner eating a bowl of soba. When I finished the bowl, Kenshin called me over. Leaving my empty dish at the table, I hurried over.

"So you want to be a soldier in the Cho Shu Clan, Mina-chan?" Katsura asked as I approached the table.

"Hai," I nodded, "my place is in the battlefield with Kenshin, not in the kitchen or house like other women."

"If that's the case," Katsura rose from his seat after sipping his tea, "welcome to the Ishin Shishi, Himura Mina-chan," Katsura extended his right hand to me.

"Just like that, huh?" I asked, placing a firm grip on Katsura's hand.

"From what Kenshin has told me, your talents would be put to waste if you stayed here with the maids," Katsura reminded me of my battle with Jin'eh from the previous night. "Your talents would greatly aid our cause, Hitokiri Kensai."

"Pardon me?" I asked, slowly pulling my hand away from Katsura's grip.

"It's only an appropriate title for the sister of the Hitokiri Battousai, is it not?" Katsura asked.

Hitokiri Kensai, the title Jin'eh gave me during our duel, now it will be my name on the battlefield. Battou and Ken, one cannot exist without the other, apart they are at half strength, quite appropriate for my brother and I, Kenshin and I would be at full strength when together, but at half when apart.

"Kenshin-kun," Katsura turned to my brother, "I want you to take her to the Satsuma Clan's camp, take Mina-kun there and train her for about a week, and then return here and we'll give you two your first mission together."

"Hai," the two of us bowed before our leader.

Kenshin led me outside, to the streets of Kyoto. As we walked, we passed the Toji Temple, not a sign of the battle that occurred the night before. People were praying there as they usually would, the blood that lay on the ground was now evaporated into the stone steps. I still couldn't believe the reaction the people had as the stood in the spot where many died the night before, I still can't to this very day. I looked to Kenshin as we walked passed, I could tell he felt the same way I did. We stopped by a small house on the way to the camp, a large furnace must've been inside because there was a lot of smoke coming out.

"Why are we stopping here?" I asked Kenshin as I looked at the straw roof sitting on the house.

"There's someone I need you to meet, Mina," Kenshin told me as he knocked on the house's door. "Shakku-dono," Kenshin called for the home's owner as he knocked.

"Himura-san, is that you?" a middle-aged man answered the door.

"Hai, Shakku-dono," Kenshin answered as I stood a small distance away.

"Who's this young lady, Himura-san," Shakku began to approach me, "have you moved on after Tomoe?"

Has he moved on, I wished he had. I wanted to be the one after Tomoe, but I knew, that it would take more time if I was to be the one after, and yet...

"No, I haven't," Kenshin answered, piercing my heart with those words.

Again I was filled with anger, jealous over a dead woman I never knew. If I think about it in the present, that was very childish of me, well, I was only a child back then compared to now.

"This is my sister, Mina," Kenshin introduced me, "she has just joined the Ishin Shishi, that she has."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Mina-san," Shakku bowed, "hm, I can see the resemblance," Shakku observed my face and turned back to Kenshin, "you two are a perfect match."

"Please sir, you're embarrassing me, that you are," I suddenly blurted out my brother's catch phrase for the very first time.

"She even speaks like you," Shakku chuckled as he turned back to my brother. "Okay, I know why you are here," Shakku said after his short burst of laughter, "Mina-san, come with me."

Shakku led me into the back of his house where a furnace lay. The smell of ash and tempered metal was abundant in the room. Swords lay across the walls as well as many tools, an anvil sat in the middle of the room, many scratches were abundant on it's surface. It didn't take me long to conclude that Arai Shakku was a sword smith, and based on the designs of his blades, they all looked similar to the ones the soldiers of the Ishin Shishi had.

"Here you are," Shakku handed me a daisho encased in red oak.

"Arigatou," I took the blades into my belt, "I guess I should be going now then," I bowed as I returned to my waiting brother outside.

"If that piece of metal every breaks, come back and see me," Shakku called as I left the house.

Kenshin and I continued down the streets after. The snow had begun to melt, but it was still a bit cold, you could practically feel the vapor swirling around you as you walked the streets. After walking for an unaccounted amount of time, I found Kenshin and myself walking down the path in the trade route. Memories began to flood back in my head, memories I thought I had forgotten in a few days. I saw it all again, Mother and I walking down this very path to go to Kyoto, a path that would break and lead me to another. I remembered how many breaks we took and how harsh the journey was for her, stopping every once and a while for her sake. I locked the tears in my eyes as we walked, I didn't want to show any weakness to my brother, after all, I was a soldier now, I couldn't show weakness in the battlefield, and right now I was battling my emotions. We stepped out of the path about midway, turning left to head into a small bamboo thicket. Kenshin seemed to know where we were going as we went passed through the grove, but everywhere we went, it looked like we were passing the same area over and over again. Then we finally reached a small field, small straw shacks were everywhere in the field, along with wooden poles and many individuals striking them with either steel or oak.

"We're here," Kenshin said as he wiped away a small river of sweat from his forehead.

"This is the Satsuma camp?" I asked, looking down to the field.

"You two, what are you doing here?" a rude voice interrupted us suddenly.

I turned to the side to find the source, a girl about my age, long hair, as brown as earth. Her eyes didn't seem to be very friendly, the black spheres paralyzing me as Jin'eh's did. She was pretty tall for a woman, taller than Kenshin and I, she was about as tall as the average man. A red kimono clung to her body (which I might add barely clung to her because of her rather large features), along with a gray hamaka. She wore a daisho on her belt, her's were encased in black sheaths. It was just a chance encounter when I first met this woman, the first of many times we would meet.

"We're from the Cho Shu Clan," Kenshin answered the woman, "Katsura-dono sent us here, that he did."

"Wipe that smirk off your face," the woman ordered, sneering as she said those words, "and why should I believe you, do have any proof that you're from Cho Shu?"

"Well, uh...," Kenshin tried to think of something he could use as proof.

This woman just got on my nerves, I just had to do something, even if she was with the clan that was allied with mine. I reached for my new sword, but I stopped once another individual appeared on the scene.

"Shion-kun, what's the trouble?" a middle-aged man approached the woman as I returned my hand to my side.

"These two seem pretty suspicious," the woman answered, still shooting a glare at Kenshin and me.

"Shion-kun, don't you know who this man is?" the man asked her, placing his hand on Kenshin's shoulder.

"No, I'm afraid not," the woman answered, a bit calmed down, but still glaring at me.

"This is the Hitokiri Battousai from the Cho Shu Clan," the man explained, "the most powerful soldier in all of the Ishin Shishi."

"I see, but who's this supposed to be, Saigo-sama?" the woman turned her back toward me, her thumb extended in my face.

"Didn't your mother tell you it's not polite to point?!" I shoved her hand away from my face. "I'm Himura Mina, also known as Hitokiri Kensai, and don't you forget it!" I spat as Kenshin shook his head in shame from my action.

"I already forgot it, whoever you are," the woman continued to pretend I wasn't there, placing the back of her hand over mouth as laughter escaped her lips.

"Look you...!" I prepared to draw my sword, but Kenshin placed his hand over my mine as soon as I grabbed the hilt.

"Mina, stop it," Kenshin ordered me without any anger in his voice.

"...Hai," I released the grip of my sword.

"Himura-san, what brings you here?" Saigo asked after I began to cool down.

"Katsura-dono sent me here to train my sister here, that he did," Kenshin answered as he placed his hand on my shoulder, "she just joined the Cho Shu Clan this morning and she's already gained a reputation among our troops."

"A reputation," the woman began to approach me and began eyeing me from head to toe, "hm, I don't see how you could get one when there's not much to look at, you're as flat as a board!"

That just really angered me, so I balled my fingers into a fist and planted it across the woman's face. How dare she make fun of my figure, it's not my fault for being the way I am, blame nature for not giving me features that can smother a man to death.

"Yeah, well I heard that women with big breasts lack the normal amount of brain cells as those things are taking up the space!" I yelled after punching her to the floor.

"You're just jealous, little girl," the woman continued her taunts as she rubbed the red spot on her face.

"That's enough, Shion," the Saigo ordered the woman.

"Mina, you should stop too, that you should," Kenshin tried to calm me down.

"...hai, Saigo-sama," the woman dusted herself off as she returned to her feet, acting as if nothing had happened.

"I have to apologize for her actions, Himura-san," Saigo apologized, "our top hitokiri is sometimes plagued with a short temper, but that's why we hired her."

"This is your hitokiri?" Kenshin turned to the woman.

"Yes, this is Azumi Shion," Saigo formally introduced us.

"Azumi Shion huh," I repeated, "I'll remember the name of the bitch who lacks brain cells."

"You're just jealous aren't you?" Shion continued her taunts, now with a smile stretched across her face . "Jealous because I'm obviously more beautiful than you are. I mean, look at you, red hair, lavender eyes, who'd like a freak like you. The traditional Japanese woman is someone like me."

"What, a bitch who's only good in bed?" I snapped back. "No wait, what am I saying, bitches belong outside in the yard."

"You're such a rude individual," Shion sighed, "I'm appalled to even be the same gender as you."

"That's enough, Shion-kun," Saigo ordered the woman, "save your energy for today's assignment," Saigo handed the woman a piece of black paper.

"...I understand, sir," Shion placed the paper in her sleeve, "gomen," she said with a bow.

"Now, Mina-san, please head this way," Saigo directed me to the fields as Kenshin followed.

I could tell Shion was glaring at me as we headed toward the field. I felt something strange about that woman, a weird aura surrounded her. It felt threatening, but it also felt damaged, something was definitely wrong with that woman, and I'm not talking about her chest either, it was her psyche. I didn't know what was wrong with her at the time, nor did I want to know. Yet I felt another string was tied onto me, this one shared with her. It sure as hell wasn't red, maybe black for the color of her heart.

The field was very busy, pretty crowded. Someone was always tripping over someone else as each of these men tripped on each other's feet, heck, two individuals almost fell on me when they tripped. Saigo led us to a more open space in the field, this area was more secluded than the rest, and I can see why. The plant life was pretty much dead, the grass was a dull yellow, I think some patches almost looked gray, various forms of oak lay across the dry ground, just as dehydrated as the floor, reflecting a jet black color into my eyes. A typical setting for a battlefield, I've heard about scenes like this back in school, our teachers often told us samurai tales in between lectures. Kenshin and I stopped in the middle of this field, each of us handed a bokken by Saigo. After doing so, he left, returning to his men training in the other, and more healthier, part of the field.

"Before we begin," Kenshin began a lecture, his voice entering one ear and out the other, "the last time we fought, I..." his voice just seemed to trail away, my mind still focused on that stupid bitch by the name of Azumi Shion.

I thought about how much I would have liked to strangle her, or maybe have her blood to be the first spilt on my blade. I had such a bad temper back then, I guess it's still kind of bad today, just not as. How I hated Azumi Shion, I still do, and I'm pretty sure everyone who's met her feels the same way. No, maybe not men, they'd like her for her chest, how I would pity the man that would marry her, with an attitude like her's, I wouldn't be surprised if they committed suicide.

"Is that understood, Mina?" were the last words I heard that came from my brother's mouth.

"Hai," I responded, smiling, pretending as if I listened to his lecture.

"Okay then, attack when ready?" Kenshin stood with his bokken's point facing me.

As soon as he said those words, I made the first move, having my blade lead my path. It was supposed to be a sure hit, yet he disappeared from my sight before the wooden slab struck. A Ryu-Tsui-Sen, I thought I knew the attack he was going to use. I tried to move out of the way, but somehow a sudden jolt ran through my entire body. My shoulder just suddenly weighed me down to the dead ground, my face scratching against the dead grass upon falling. I turned my head up to see my brother's feet at eye level, and the tip of his bokken facing me.

"How did you...?" I asked as I forced myself back to my feet.

"I told you I was holding back the first time we sparred, didn't I?" Kenshin asked, tapping what would be the dull end of his sword on his shoulder. "This is the real god-like speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," Kenshin said as he disappeared before my eyes again.

In a split second, I found myself on the ground again, this time my back forcing me to fall forward toward the ground. I was in pain all right, I didn't want to get back up, but Kenshin did it for me, his hands pulling me upward via the space under my arms.

"Are you okay, Mina?" he asked concerned.

"...hai," I answered as I staggered forward, using the bokken from preventing another fall.

"Now we're going to try this again until you can move at the same speed," Kenshin readied his bokken again, "not only that, you should be able to predict my movements after a short while."

What was supposed to be a short while turned out to be a few hours. Throughout the entire exercise, I was struck in the back or abdomen, with an occasional strike to the leg or arm. It was hell, but I didn't give up. No matter how much pain I was in, I still returned to my feet, asking Kenshin to continue, no matter how black or blue my body was. It wasn't until nightfall I finally got it. The stars' glow wasn't enough to reflect the presence of Kenshin once he disappeared, I had to rely on instinct. It was after I was hit with a Ryu-Kan-Sen that I finally felt it, I felt his ki, and I could foresee his next movement. I stood in the middle of the field with my bokken clutched tightly in my hands. Time just seemed to slow down for a moment, and then I saw him in front of me. It seemed like a minute or so as he moved, when in reality is was just a split second. He jumped high into the air within the blink of an eye, and when my eye lids rose from that blink, the next thing I know, my blade met his as we both stood in the air. I managed to counter his Ryu-Tsui-Sen with a Ryu-Shou-Sen, Kenshin looked shocked when I countered this, but there was still a smile on his face as we fell back to the earth. Upon landing, the weight in my legs suddenly gave out, leaving me to kneel before the ground again. Each of those hits had finally taken their real toll on me. Kenshin dropped his bokken and ran to me, catching me in his arms when my oak support slipped from my fingers.

"Mina, you're not hurt, are you?" Kenshin asked.

"I'm okay," I answered, still kneeling to the dead floor.

"Mina, I'm proud of you," Kenshin whispered as he held my head close to his ear.

He held me tightly, so tight not even air could squeeze through us. I felt his breath escape his lips as he held, the breeze whistling passed my ear with each heave. If my arms weren't weighing me down as well, I would've hugged him back, so I simply placed my head on his shoulder to return the gesture. My lips tried to pluck at the fabric of his kimono, but my conscience stopped me before I took action.

"Baka!" it yelled. "You can't do that, he's merely giving you a simple brotherly embrace. He thinks of you as his sister, remember, you wouldn't want to make love to your brother if you had a real one, right?"

I listened to my conscience, simply using Kenshin's shoulder as a pillow as it requested. Yet my heart was yelling at me, saying it was a great opportunity, I should've taken advantage of the situation. I began to block out my conscience, my lips were about to press against his neck, when suddenly we were interrupted.

"Hey, Kenshin-san, Mina-san," Saigo's voice suddenly yelled from across the field, "it's time for dinner, come join us."

"Hai," Kenshin called back, "let's go, Mina," Kenshin said as he helped back to my feet.

My body was still weak, it leaned toward him again. My right arm wrapped around to touch his, the rest of my body just seemed to drag to the ground. Kenshin didn't seem to mind, he simply held me close as we walked to the barracks. It was just as busy as the inn, maybe more so. Kenshin and I sat at the east corner of the room, a bowl of rice and pork were laid before us as soon as we sat. It was then that strength had returned to my arms, so I was able to use my chop sticks to pinch the pink meat.

"Aha ha ha ha," I recognized the laugh that came from across the table, sitting directly in front of Kenshin and me.

"Azumi Shion," I glared at the woman sitting before me, "what are you laughing at?!"

"I was just thinking how this color suits you better, Himura-san," Shion laughed as she mocked my bruises.

"And I was just thinking how a whore house would fit you better than a soldier's barracks," I snapped back.

"Aha ha ha ha," Shion laughed again, the back of her hand against her lips, "is that all you can do, Himura-san, make fun of my chest, can't you do anything else you little girl!"

"Why you...!" I began to reach for my sword as it sat next to me side.

"Mina, ignore her," Kenshin ordered as I rose from my seat.

"There's no way I'm taking any of this," I yelled at Kenshin as I took my sword into my hand, "if you have something to say, say it with your sword!" I yelled at Shion, breaking all the commotion echoing throughout the dining hall.

I was the center of attention among all these men, I knew it. Through the edges of my eye, I saw them all staring at me, all those eyes fixed on me and my sheathed sword. Not a sound nor a movement, the room was frozen.

"Hm hm hm," Shion began to chuckle again and it evolved into her annoying laughter before I knew it, "aha ha ha ha. You really are a rude one, aren't you Himura-san? Okay then, I'll take up on your challenge, let us take this outside then," she said as she took the sword resting at the edge of her seat.

I lead the way out, stomping so hard that I probably left a crater or two. A crowd seemed to have followed us as Shion headed outside. The glow of the moon reflected that annoying grin on her face, and the winds carried another one of her chuckles into my ear. She was awfully cheerful, the total opposite of when we first met earlier in the day. Yet that smile was wiped off her face by the time the winds died, now it was replaced by that stern look she wore earlier.

"You do know what you are getting into, don't you?" she asked with a serious tone in her voice. "This is a battle between two samurai, meaning that no grudges are to be carried into this fight, I hope you know that."

"Does it matter?" I threw her words back in her face. "I frankly don't give a damn if this is a grudge match or a samurai duel, either way, I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Mina, you mustn't...," Kenshin tried to reason one more time as he pushed through the crowd.

"Stay out of this, Kenshin!" I barked, my eyes fixed on my opponent as I yelled.

The pain from my bruises earlier seemed to have disappeared, and my strength was regained. Determination is said to revive the warrior's spirit, the determination to teach Azumi Shion a lesson must be what had revived me. Despite this regained strength, I wanted to end this quickly, so I decided to start with my best attack. Taking my sheathed blade into my left hand, I arched forward with my right preparing to draw. Kenshin said that Battoujutsu used the god-like speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu to it's full potential, so I might as well use that to my advantage.

"A sword draw technique huh," Shion observed as she slid the longer of the two slabs of steel out of their oak sheaths, "I see, then..."

Suddenly she charged at me, her blade pointed upward as it sliced the air. A diagonal slash coming from the upper-right, I anticipated this move and jumped a step back, but I didn't see was the roundhouse kick coming from the lower-left that followed after. The kick knocked me toward part of their crowd, each member of the audience stepped back to make room for my fall. The next thing I saw was a downward strike of the blade. I rolled to the side, and again I missed the attack that followed, this one a back flip that had both of Shion's feet strike my chin consecutively. That kick somehow knocked me back to my feet, and I found her delivering a side slash next. Based on her actions thus far, I caught the with my blade flat against her's, and then I ducked before her crescent kick coming from the right knocked me to the floor. As I recovered from my duck, I spun behind her and aimed my sword at the back of her neck.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," I shouted as I quickly flipped the sword's edge to the dull side as I drew it, "Ryu-Kan-Sen!" the impact created a large thud as it stuck between her spine and skull.

A few seconds after the strike, she flew toward the crowd, again it backed up to make room for her fall. Her style was quite simple once you see it after a while, she'll attack from one angle with her sword, and then she'll follow up with a kick from the opposite angle of the first attack. I thought that she would give up once I learned her pattern, but instead, she rose back to her feet.

"That really hurt," Shion spat as she flicked her hair to the side. "You are very skilled to see through my attack pattern after seeing it only three times, however," Shion then drew her wakezashi, "I've only begun to flex my muscles."

I flipped the blade of my sword again, the sharp edge again taking the lead of my attacks. I lunged forward, the wakezashi caught my stab attack as the katana went for a outward slash. I jumped back, readying my sword for a follow up attack. Nothing, instead she just stood there, waiting for me to attack. Not wanting to wait, I quickly jumped into the air, as high as I could, plummeting toward the speck that would reflect the image of my opponent with each instant I fell.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," I screamed as I began to bring my blade down, "Ryu-Tsui-Sen!"

Shion caught my attack, bringing both of her blades above her head with an 'x' formation, locking my sword in place. I forced all my weight into my sword, and suddenly I fell to the ground once more. I was able to break my fall with a small flip, landing back on my feet almost in an instant. With one sword pointing to the upper-left and the other to the lower-right, Shion was left vulnerable. I went for another lunge, but to my shock, I struck nothing but steel. Looking to where my blade was targeted, I found two sword hilts joined together at the base. Turning my head upward a bit, I saw a smirk on my opponent's face, and suddenly I was pushed back with a sharp pain suddenly coming from my side.

"Che!" I spat as I gripped the source of the crimson river now flooding from my side.

"What do you think of my weapon?" Shion asked as she twirled the two blades which were now locked as one.

The katana's blade faced upward as it's sharp edge faced the east just as the wakezashi's faced toward the ground with the dull edge facing the east, the same direction as the katana's sharp edge. Both of the swords' tips were facing in opposite directions, the moon's glow reflecting off the katana while the shadow reflected off the wakezashi. I've heard of this weapon before, and based on it's length, it's not a double-bladed sword. This new weapon, taller than it's user with two curved blades on both ends, it was a...

"Naginata," I said panting, still trying to recover from my wound.

"The true weapon of a woman samurai," Shion said as she spun the weapon to the side, "although it pains me to see it's numbers dwindle as the days go by."

"Well boo-hoo," I released the hand gripping my cut, placing it back on my sword, "no one really gives a damn, so let's just get this over with!"

This fight lasted longer than had I expected, and I wanted to end it in that very moment. Again, I slid my katana into it's sheath, preparing to draw it once more. Glaring to the figure of my opponent, she suddenly flipped the blades of her spear, pointing the sharpened edge of the katana upward. We stood there for a few moments, waiting for the other to attack. Because of my brashness, I struck first, charging at full speed. I felt the blade scratch against it's sheath as I pulled it out, pulling it upward toward the neck of my opponent. It was too soon, she saw what I was about to do and ducked, I was wide open, and then, I was put into a world of pain. The longer blade of the katana struck my lower jaw, I felt a hard object in the place of a cut, she had switched the blade's edge at the last moment. The second blade then swung upward in a quick spin of her fingers, this time knocking me into the air. I saw as Shion followed the spin of her naginata, her feet kicking my body just as they did with the first attack I was struck with. I watched as the longer naginata blade planted itself into the ground, with both of Shion's gripping the pole portion of the weapon at the same time. Her body launched upward, her feet striking first against my back, and then the wave of both arms as she arched forward during the jump, pushing my body to the ground as they did so. The next thing I knew, my back was flat against the ground, and I was staring at the moon's glow through the reflection of the naginata's blades. There was something also weighing against my stomach, no wait, I should say someone. It was Shion, sitting on my stomach, hands on her lap, resting on me all lady-like. She must've done this when she pushed my body to the ground during that jump she made.

"You are defeated, Himura-san," Shion taunted me with a smile as she slowly rose from her seat, "please think before you take action," she said as she took her weapon out of the ground.

"That was wonderful, Hitokiri Shion," I overheard one of the crowd's audience members cheer her on as they cleared a path for her.

"Let me buy you a drink," I heard another cheer for her.

"No, let me," I heard a third.

"Please," she said with a giggle, "I don't want to drink too much, I wouldn't want to end up so drunk that I'd pass out."

"Damn...," I hit the back of my head against the ground as I lay in defeat.

"Mina!" Kenshin suddenly to my side.

"Che, I'm fine," I brushed my brother away with the wave of my arm, "I'm fine," I said as I glared into the barracks' dining hall where everyone was celebrating Shion's victory over me.

I was angry at the time, at Shion, and myself. Angry at her for starting something with me, and at myself for my weakness. That defeat taught me that I needed more training, and I needed to shape up, I was too cocky and brash, that must've lead me to my defeat. If I can turn back the clock and relive that incident, I would've ignored her like my brother ordered me to do so. I wanted a rematch, and eventually I would get, maybe more times than I had wanted...

  
  
  


Chapter 8 Liner Notes

  
  
  


The origin of Azumi Shion- As you have read, you now know of Azumi Shion. She was not a real person in the Revolution, but she is based on an unnamed female hitokiri who fought for the Satsuma Clan who also fought with a naginata. This hitokiri was said to have killed over thirty men in one battle, how, I don't know. It is said that she was possibly a slave sold to a member of the Satsuma Clan, and that she was ordered by her master to fight during the Revolution. There are tales that she was supposedly killed in the battle of Toba-Fushimi, while others say she escaped the war and moved somewhere in the country. Shion's name is actually a tribute to two characters. Her family name, Azumi, is actually the name of a character in the anime and manga series, Real Bout High School, the character's full name being Kiribyashi Azumi. Kiribyashi Azumi was a master of the naginata just as Shion is, but her naginata only had a single blade. I basically copied Kiribyashi Azumi's laugh that she always used to taunt her rival, the main character of Real Bout High School, Mitsurugi Ryoko, her hair style, attitude, and...how can I put this...other features. The next character she is based on was Uzuki Shion, the main character in the upcoming video game Xenosaga Episode 1. I used obviously used the character's name, and part of her hand-to-hand style of combat, you know, the kicks and stuff she used on Mina.

  
  
  


Who's Saigo?- Saigo Takimori was the leader of the Satsuma Clan during the Revolution. After the Revolution, Saigo was given an office in the Meiji Government (sorry, I can't remember what it was). Saigo was displeased with the government and resigned, and in September of 1877, Saigo began a war, along with former samurai who were displeased with the new government, this war being called the 'Seinan War', it was later dubbed the final battle of the samurai. Saigo's army lost the war, and Saigo was then ordered to commit sepuku (honorable suicide, it's basically done by having the person stab themself in the stomach and an on-looker would slice off their head once they are stabbed) which he did.

  
  
  


What's a naginata?- It's a Japanese spear with a curved blade (usually as long as a katana or wakezashi) attached to the end of a pole. The naginata were mainly used during the early days of the Tokugawa, but their numbers slowly dwindled as the weapon was more complex to use than a katana. It was still taught in samurai families, mainly to the women of the family as they kept the tradition alive. Even today, primary users of the naginata are women. There are some double-bladed naginata, just like the one Shion has, in fact, the same type she had were even made, although they were often rare to find, most are now held in Japanese museums.

  
  
  


(Next time: "I pull her away from this demon, but I cannot pull her away from my world, she is now swallowed by it, forever trapped in it's belly. She does not want to leave, she is too immersed in it's contents. I worry for her, I worry as she begins to travel the world alone..." -Himura Kenshin)

  
  
  


(Author's Note: Well, how was it? Yeah, I know Shion comes off as a bitch when you first meet her, but I'm sure your opinion of her will change as the story progresses. Anyway, the next chapter won't have any action, just some angst and character development. So be kind and drop me a review, not a flame please!)


	10. A Brother's Love

Author's Note: Well, there's no action in this chapter, just some character development between Kenshin, Mina, and Shion. You want action, wait until the next update. Well, let's get on with the show then.

  
  


Chapter 9: A Brother's Love

  
  


The futons in the Satsuma camp weren't as comfortable as they were at the inn nor were they as clean. Patches of old kimonos filled the holes of the blanket and mattress itself, although it didn't soften the rocky feeling that etched into my back when I lay on it. With the wounds I sustained from my fight with Shion, the experience was even more aggravating. No matter how I was turned, or how I lay, I just couldn't find a comfortable position. The noise coming from the dining hall didn't help either. The words 'Hitokiri Shion is unstoppable' continued to flood through my ears as I tried to sleep. Even when the noise stopped, I still couldn't get to sleep, the futon was that uncomfortable. I peered to my brother who slept in the other side of the room, he was sound asleep, a smile stretched across his face as he slept. By the time I was able to get a wink of sleep, the sun had already rose, and a man barged into our room telling everyone to get up.

"Oh man...," I grumbled as soon as the man left, burying my face into the kimono quilt.

"Come on, Mina," Kenshin shook me, tossing the ragged blanket aside as he did so, "it's time for today's training."

"Son of a...!" I groaned as Kenshin pulled me to my feet.

It's not that I was sleepy, I was used to lack of sleep thanks to living on the farm, it's just that my body was sore all over, all thanks to the wounds I received from Kenshin and Shion the day before. I just wanted to lie in one spot for an entire day so my body can rest, but that wasn't very likely going to happen, especially if you're a soldier. The only reason you'd get taken off the field was if you were badly hurt, my injuries weren't good enough for that. Everything just seemed to weigh me down, my skin, my hair, my skeleton, even my clothes. I swear, my kimono felt like I was wearing a five-hundred pound weight. I would've removed it, but being in a camp filled with hundreds of men and only one other female, that idea was out. It got even worse when Kenshin and I made it to the fields, I now had to also carry a wooden stick that felt I was carrying another five hundred pounds.

"Ready, Mina?" Kenshin asked and he disappeared before my eyes.

I didn't even bother to lift up my sword, I just let my brother's bokken strike me in the shoulder so I can plop down to the ground faster. The ground was so soft, at least when compared to that patch futon. I welcomed the darkness as I shut my eyes, engulfing myself into a world of pitch black. My sprit may have been consumed into the black, yet my body and consciousness remained in the realm of reality. I heard my brother as he tried to wake me with his voice, his hands as they gripped my shoulders, swaying my body as he did so.

"I'm still tired...," three words escaped my lips and fled into reality, "Kenshin, let me rest."

"All right," Kenshin sighed, lifting me back to my feet and supporting me with his shoulder, "let's walk you back to the room."

Leaning against his broad shoulders never seemed to tire me, I actually enjoyed it more each time I did so. Back then, I always thought I was a hassle for Kenshin, always getting in his way. I wasn't very strong back then, nor do I think I am now. I was weak, still weak in the present, despite the encouragement I received from my allies. I'm sure Kenshin thought I was strong, just because he though of me as his sister. By looking at the expression on his face when he carried me, I know he didn't mind taking care of me, I'm pretty sure he enjoyed it.

By the time I shut my eyes again after looking into my brother's face, I a sudden screech passed through my ears, that screech being the laugh of Azumi Shion.

"Che, it's you again!" I sneered as Kenshin and I stopped before the hitokiri of the spear.

"Still in those colors I see," Shion mocked my bruises once more, the back of her hand pressed against her lips as she laughed, "although I personally think a darker shade of black would fit your face better."

"Shion-dono, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tease my sister, that I do," Kenshin began to defend me, although he didn't have any hint of anger in his voice when he said his words, just that calm persona behind it.

"I'm only joking with her, Battousai," Shion waved the back of her hand outward, that smile never leaving her face while doing this. "Himura-san," Shion turned to me, the smile wiped away from her face, replaced with a straight look, "I must apologize for my behavior the other day."

"Nani?!" her words surprised me, I had not been expecting her to apologize.

Her voice wore that serious tone it had during our battle last night, and her eyes peered directly into mine, it was obvious she wasn't lying. She really was a true traditional woman, hiding behind a mask of cockiness, but that didn't change the fact that I hated her.

"My actions were uncalled for," Shion continued, "you have proven yourself to me that you are indeed a true warrior, though this does not change the fact that I dislike you."

"Same here," I spat, "then why even bother to apologize?"

"You'd make a worthy opponent one day," Shion said, turning her back to my face, "the next time we fight, I hope you have improved," Shion turned her head to face me again, "although you'll never be as good as me, aha ha ha ha," Shion broke her serious monologue with her trademark laugh.

"Oro?" Kenshin's face was left puzzled as the female hitokiri walked away.

"I'll show her!" I thought as I clenched a fist.

"Mina, you're hurting my shoulder!" Kenshin cried as I suddenly felt a ball of flesh collecting in my closing hand.

"Oh, gomen," I apologized, letting go of the skin of his shoulder.

Kenshin had brought me back to our room, and he just happened to set me down on that uncomfortable futon I used last night. I wanted to whine about this, but then I figured that I'll probably be sleeping on stuff like this from now on. Kenshin covered me with the patched blanket as soon as set me down, petting my hair as if I were a child after he did so. His touch was so soft and gentle, my heart just raced as he did so, but then I reminded myself that this is the touch of a brother, not a lover, and then the beat of my heart just slowed down.

"Get some rest now, Mina," Kenshin said as he made his way for the door, "I'll be back at lunch to check up on you."

"Arigatou," I said as he slid the door open. "Hey, Brother," I called to him before he left, stopping him in his tracks, "am I just getting in your way?"

"What do you mean?" Kenshin asked as he looked back.

"Ever since you saved me, I've been getting into a lot of trouble," I answered, looking into the sky through the holes in the ceiling, "from the time you saved me from those Mibu Wolves, to helping me just now, you've always been there. I was just wondering if you tire of coming to my aid, that's all."

"I don't mind," Kenshin answered, a smile stretching across his face as he talked, "after all, you are my little sister, that you are. Before I met you, I had brothers," the smile suddenly left Kenshin's face, replacing it with a blank look, "all of them were older than me. I always used to think they were teasing me whenever they would stop me from going to the river by our house, or when they pulled me down from a tree I had just climbed. I hated them for that, I hated being the baby. When they died, I thought it would be a godsend of sorts, no one would stop me from doing whatever I wanted, but...that's not how it was. I had my freedom, but I lacked restriction; a restriction that was needed when playing a game. Games need rules, and with no rules, there is chaos and no fun. My brothers always made the rules when we played games like tag or hide-and-seek, but when they were gone, so were the games. I had no one to play with, no games to play. I was alone, and soon, my parents died too. Restricting you from joining the Cho Shu Clan reminded me of my brothers, and then I finally understood why they restricted me from many things. They wanted to protect me, that they did. They wanted me to live a prosperous life. They did this because they loved me, Mina, that's how I feel about you. I want to protect you, I want you to live a prosperous life, that's why I stop you in times in which you are angry. Do I tire of this, no, of course not. An older sibling's job is to always look out for the younger ones out of the kindness from their heart, that was...what my brothers had told me once," Kenshin sniffed, his hand shielding his eyes from mine. "I think I should go back," Kenshin said as slid the tears away from his eyes with the swipe of his finger, "try to get some rest, Mina," Kenshin smiled as he shut the door.

Even with that speech he made, it made it sound like his taking care of me was his duty, even if it was coming from the heart. But what really hit me the most was how he felt about me. He loved me, though it was sibling love. It still hurt me that he only loved me as his sister, but as I said before, relationships such as this can sometimes lead to true love, fate has already wrapped us with it's Red String, it's only natural that our relationship would evolve, if not now, later. I still love him as much even now, I still wait for that day when our relationship will evolve.

The next thing I knew, in the blink of an eye, the sun was already setting. I had somehow fallen asleep on that stone-for-a-futon. I sat up with a yawn, and to my amazement, the pain from my bruises were gone. I jumped up in joy after finding this, but I hit the ceiling as I did so. As I rubbed my head, I suddenly heard a voice coming from outside.

"Saito Hajime," I heard Shion's voice from outside, taking a glance at her from a crack in the wall.

She was reading a black piece of paper in her hands. I'm pretty sure that was who she had to assassinate for the day. Saito Hajime, leader of the third Shinsengumi squad, that was her target. I don't know what was racing through my head at the time, but something just told me I had to go for this job instead of her. It was the last remains of my brash attitude at work, I'm pretty sure I was thinking that I could break the whole 'older sibling watching out for their younger sibling' rule if I could take out Saito Hajime.

"Will patrol east part of Kyoto tonight," I overheard Shion's loud reading, "patrol ends within the hour of twelve. Saigo-sama sure has an odd way of writing these things," Shion sighed as she crumpled the paper.

After hearing her saying this, I quickly ran to the east wall and got my katana and wakezashi, fastening them to my belt as quick as possible. As I dashed for the door, it suddenly opened.

"Oh, Mina, you're up," Kenshin smiled as he stood in my way.

"Uh...yeah," I faked a smile, waiting for him to get of the doorway.

"Are you going somewhere?" Kenshin asked as he looked at the swords on my belt.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, that fake smile still perched on my face.

"Why else would you have your swords on your belt?" Kenshin answered.

"Just a walk," I answered, faking a laugh at the same time, my hand scratching this itch that just appeared behind my neck, "I'll be back in a few."

Kenshin didn't say another word as I left the door. I knew he remained in the same spot as I left, making my way into the bamboo thicket and heading back toward the city. With my recent training, I thought I would be invincible, that I could take on a whole army, but again, I would later be proven wrong.

  
  


Chapter 9 Liner Notes

  
  


(Got nothing to explain here.)

  
  


(Next time: "As I dash through the veins of the creature called Kyoto, I find something moving within the darkness. Eyes with the glitter of gold and hair burning with the fuel of life, the creature bites down upon the elite of the Mibu, their fangs bared and their claws digging into each other, it's obvious which of these noble creatures will fall..." -Azumi Shion)

  
  
  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was it? Shion isn't that bad of a person as you thought she was, now is she? Next time, Mina and Shion will battle the elite of the Shinsengumi, Saito Hajime, watch out for it! So why don't you drop me a review, not a flame, it'll make my day. Oh, and to answer your question Emiri-chan, if you want to see the results of Kenshin and Mina's relationship, read my old fic, 'The Twin Dragon Arc', it's needed to understand later events in the story, though it kinda gives some spoilers to what happens later, but I'd appreciate it if you checked it out, it hasn't gotten many reviews (maybe because it was written about three years old and my writing style back then sucked.) So other than that, leave me a review, but remember, no flames!


	11. Narrow Eyes of Mibu

Author's Note: I won't be able to update very much anymore because of school, but I do plan to finish this fic, I guarantee it. Anyway, in this chapter will be action packed, it's Mina and Shion versus Saito Hajime, enjoy it! Oh, and another thing, the rating will change after this chapter to 'R' because the level of violence increases (actually, this chapter is fairly violent, I should've changed the rating for this chapter but whatever) and an attempted rape scene coming up in a few chapters. With that said, enjoy the show!

  
  


Chapter 10: Narrow Eyes of Mibu

  
  


It was already night when I had arrived in the city, the bustling streets were as empty as a bar after happy hour. There were no winds that night, the sky was as desolate as the streets, not a flicker of light, nor a moon to shine down into the city. The only thing I could see that night was my breath as it turned into mist for a moment before dissolving into the musty streets. The sound of absolute silence lay in every corner; nothing else came into my ears. I couldn't even hear the sounds my feet made when they touched the ground, it was pure silence.

"There's no turning back now," I told myself, my left hand clutching the curved case of my katana.

I took a step forward, silence echoed again. I took a second step, again, silence. A third step, quickly followed by a fourth, and then the steps followed one after another, not a second of hesitation between. I was running down the street, the winds sliding passed my face and body as I did so. Soon my eye caught a glimpse of sky blue with white lining. My steps began to die down, turning my run into a walk. With my toes leading my feet and then the rest of my body, I found my back pressed against a corner. I could hear their conversation through my left ear, it was merely a whisper though.

"You men, go down to the bridge," I overheard one of the Wolves barking orders, "you five, come with me."

When the Wolves began to separate, my head then lay flat against the wall just as my body. The Alpha Dog and five of his men were going in the opposite direction of where I stood, the rest of them heading toward the east. I slid against the farthest corner of the wall so the corner of my eye could catch a glimpse of where they were headed. My eye waved left and right, scouting for any other wolves or hazards. Nothing. The coast was clear. That was when I struck.

"What the?!" one of the Wolves turned around in time to catch a glimpse of his murderer.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Kan-Sen-Tsumuji!" I flew at the man, drawing my blade so that the sharpened edge of steel engraved itself in the back of the man's skull.

A blast of ruby red sprayed from the newly opened bone, illuminating the city in a crimson glow. The other Wolves had found me out by then as I removed the steel slab from the newly-made gap in the man's head. The sound of steel sliding through wood followed, their shimmering blades almost blinding me once they saw the red light. Shutting my eyes for a split second, I dashed at the closest Wolf, the blunt edge of my katana resting against my left hand as I swung it upward toward the man's throat.

"Ryu-Shou-Sen!" I screamed as the Wolf's jaw and face plummeted to the stone floor, his body still standing for a few seconds as more crimson oozed down the crater where the man's visage once stood.

As soon as the body fell onto it's back, I dashed forward to plunge my sword into the torso of the closest Wolf. The white lining had become tainted with red as I slowly twisted the blade to the side, his face scrunching with each turn the slab of steel took. Once the blade was parallel to the ground, I pried it outward, along with a slab of meat marinated in blood. I used my foot to peel the torn muscle off my blade, kicking it off along with the corpse as a crimson substance leaked from the hole in his torso. Turning around, I found another blade coming in my direction. Ducking from the Hirazuki, I spun my body until it was behind my new opponent, plunging the blade in the space between the man's skull and body. Raising the sword upward with all my might, a large crack opened, splitting his neck and head in two, right down the middle. The entire city must've been illuminated with blood now, I swear that I could see everything clearly that night after I killed that man. Even with the entire area covered in the crimson light, I noticed the remaining Wolf had disappeared as the leader still stood in the same exact spot once this fight had begun. Then I saw him, from the reflection of my blade, his sword pointed upward, falling toward my skull. I didn't have time to react, and I wanted to shield myself from the oncoming onslaught, but the only way I could was by shutting my eyes to hide myself from my own death. A warm liquid ran down my face in the same instant my eyes shut, but the odd thing was I had not felt a thing. A small thud followed, yet my body was still standing. Leaving the darkness and returning to the night's crimson glow, I found my assailant on the ground, covered in the water of the Sanzu. Next to the corpse was a bloodied blade, a small river flowing down the sharpened edge. My eyes slowly made it's way upward to find it's owner, and to my amazement, it was...

"Azumi Shion?" I looked at the person who saved me with a puzzled look on my face.

"Baka!" she yelled at me. "You ruined my plan! Not only did I miss my opportunity to eliminate the target because of your brashness, I had to save your sorry ass as well!"

"Not so lady-like right now, are you?" I brushed her lecture aside.

"We can finish this later," Shion said as she readied her naginata, the shorter blade pointed at the lone Wolf standing before us, "Saito Hajime, on behalf of the Satsuma Clan, I must kill you."

"This should be interesting," the Wolf grunted, his katana slowly creeping out of it's sheath.

Once the curved steel was fully exposed, his left hand wrapped around the end of the sword's hilt, his right taking to the tip of the sword's edge. He arched forward, putting pressure on his right leg as it bent and his left leg stretched forward. I had never seen that stance before, it was different from the Shinsengumi's Hirazuki stance. I knew this would be trouble, I thought maybe I should let Shion handle this one. I took a step back, and my body began to turn, but then I lay frozen in place once six words escaped the Wolf's lips.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked. "Are you going to run away? You shouldn't have even come here in the first place, the battlefield is no place for little girls."

"Little girl...," the words began boiling my temper.

How I hated that name, ever since Shion had called me that the other day. The words just angered me whenever I would hear them. Shion, that stupid trend setter, there was no way I was that flat back then! Why did everyone have to make fun of figure after Shion had made her stupid ass remarks?!

"Himura-san, get out of here," Shion ordered, her naginata never leaving her side as she spoke, "this mission doesn't involve you, return to the camp, now!"

"Himura," Saito repeated my name, "are you by any chance related to the Battousai? You must be. You were with him during that attack a few days ago. Hmph, go ahead and run, Kensai, although you'll disgrace your family's name in the process."

Run away, I thought about a second. I had asked myself, "what am I doing here?", and my answer was "I don't know." Was I going to back down, was I going to run, no, of course not. I can never run away, I can't run away. Would Kenshin run away from a dog, of course not, so why should I?

"...No one's running away," I turned back to the Wolf, the grip on my blade tightening, "I will stay here and fight!" I said as I took the lower half of the hilt into my left hand.

"Fine, then let's go!" Saito screamed as the blade of his sword glided through the air, his body closely following his sword's path.

The blade was headed for Shion, and it found one of the edges of her naginata. With the arch of his arm and a push forward with his entire body, Saito managed to lock Shion in place for a moment and was then able to tackle her to the side with his shoulder after. I went for a Ryu-Tsui-Sen after, but to my shock, he had seen it coming. His blade was now pointed upward; it was to meet me before me sword could meet him, and with my arms above my head, there was no hope in blocking. Yet Shion came to rescue again, her naginata going for a side swipe, but it struck nothing but air. Saito had jumped to the side, cancelling his attack and saving my life at the same time. By the time I had landed, I noticed his sword was parallel with the ground again. In true Shinsengumi fashion, he was going to use the same attack again and again until he lost or died. Shion must've seen this as she flipped the blade of her naginata so that the longer edge was facing upward, allowing her to strike faster with an angle attack. Even if he was able to block her first swing, Shion could've easily spun her weapon one hundred-eighty degrees in a second to follow up with a second angle attack with the shorter blade. Shion also had a reach advantage since her naginata was obviously longer than Saito's katana, but there was one problem. The problem was neither Shion nor I, knew who Saito was targeting next, it was either her or me. I had to prepare as well. I only had one attack that could have any hope against his lunge.

"Battoujutsu," Saito recognized my stance as I slid my katana back into it's sheath.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Shion asked me under her breath. "Your Battoujutsu couldn't even defeat me when you tried it last night."

"I have an idea," I told Shion, ignoring her advice to change tactics.

I had just remembered the second step to Battoujutsu at that moment. Since my sword and sheath were removed from my belt, I could use the Sou-Ryu-Sen. When I fought Shion, I had forgotten to swing my sheath after the failed sword swing. I thought that wasn't going to happen this time. Saito had made the first move. He was dashing toward me and I was ready to draw my blade. The sword darted out of it's case as I pulled it out, and as expected, it missed. My sword had missed Saito's by split second, and his sword was about to find my heart. Without hesitating, I swung the sheath with my left, striking his shoulder with all my might. It would've been a good move, but then I realized I wasn't his real target. The sheath swing caused Saito to spin in Shion's direction, his blade slicing her chest in a crescent motion. A path of crimson began to line the air, Shion falling in it's opposite direction, her face meeting the tiled road first. Saito had recovered from his spin in the very same instant, the sharpened edge painted with red.

"You bastard!" I readied my sword again.

"You're pathetic, Kensai," Saito taunted, wiping his blade clean with a piece of cloth, "your brother would've easily seen this coming. Here's a little hint for the next time you fight, always stand at least twenty steps away from your ally in a battlefield to ensure they aren't hit by a ricochet attack."

"Che, I don't need your advice!" I spat, my fingers balling against my sword so hard that my muscles ached.

"There's something going on over here!" I heard voices coming from nearby.

"Wonderful," Saito sighed, "I guess I have no choice but to let this one slide. We'll meet again, and next time you won't be so lucky!" Saito said as he disappeared into the shadows.

"Dammit all..." Shion coughed as I looked back to her.

I looked at her cut that was stretched parallel to one half of her bust, it didn't look very life threatening from where I could see it, but it obviously weakened her enough so she couldn't fight for a while. Saito planned this out too well, he knew my inexperience would hinder Shion somehow. The least I could do to make it up to Shion was to stay by her side, putting aside my hatred for her at the moment.

"You okay?" I asked, helping her to her feet.

"Nothing too serious," she answered. "Why are you helping me, Himura-san?" she asked as the footsteps came closer, "I thought you hated me."

"Like you told me last night," I repeated her words, "no grudges are to be carried into a fight. I just consider you an unwanted prize from my fight."

"That's good enough," Shion sighed as the source of the footsteps caught up with us.

"Mina," I immediately recognized the leader of the patrol, "what are you doing here, I thought you went out for a walk."

"Would I really go out this late at night for a walk, Kenshin?" I answered.

"Ugh...," Shion began coughing again, the river of blood on her chest began falling to the stone ground.

"Shion-dono!" Kenshin quickly saw her injury. "We need a medic here!" Kenshin called to his men.

"You go with them now," I told Shion as I passed her over to a group of Kenshin's men, "you'll be all right."

The men carried Shion toward the direction of the camp as Kenshin and I still stood in place, watching her be carried off into the distance. Once I couldn't see her anymore, my hatred had returned, my back turning toward the direction she disappeared.

"So, Mina, you and Shion-dono are getting along now, that you are," Kenshin smiled as he looked at me.

"Nani?! Me care about her, no way, Brother!" I yelled at Kenshin. "She was injured and I just can't just let anyone die, no matter how much I hate them! This didn't mean anything, okay, I just did my good deed for the day!"

"I understand," Kenshin said as he looked back in Shion's direction, "I'll just leave it at that, that I will."

"Hai, that you should," I suddenly blurted my brother's motto.

  
  


Chapter 10 Liner Notes

  
  


(Nothing to explain here.)

  
  


(Next time: "I am forever stuck in the world of violence, I can never leave. As I chase down the monsters of this world, I am chased by that creature. Drenched in blood, it senses my presence, yearning for the ruby elixir. And then, it catches up with me, pulling me further into this strange world..." -Himura Mina)

  
  


Author's note: Well, how was it? If you ask me, it's kinda lacking some details in some areas, I wrote this chapter as soon as I got back from school so I was kinda sleepy while typing this. So leave me a review, but not a flame. Remember, the rating will change with the next update to 'R', and the violence is only to get more gruesome, but I'll try to keep it as tame as possible.


	12. The Demon Within

Author's Note: As you can clearly see, the rating has changed, expect more gruesome violence and maybe some more foul language. The review might go back down to PG-13 once the end of this arc has been posted. Anyway, let's just get on with the show!  
  


Chapter 11: The Demon Within  
  


I had continued my training in the camp for about a week or two before Kenshin and I returned to the Cho Shu Clan's inn. For the rest of my stay, I had not gone back out into the city, probably scared that I might run into Saito again. I had not spoken with Shion either, I had only seen her from a distance. Every time I saw her, she always had her usual smile on her face whenever she spoke with the other men in the clan, and I could also hear that annoying laugh as if she were standing right next to me. Yet there was one time I caught her without that smile on her face.

I was returning to my room one night after I made a stop in the kitchen for a quick snack, and then I saw her sitting alone outside, sitting on a flat surfaced rock. I couldn't see her face as her back was pointed towards me, but I could tell that her face wasn't wearing a smile. I thought I heard her sniffle as her body quickly shrugged up and then down. I noticed that she was holding a piece of paper in her palms, but I couldn't tell what it read.

"Keisuke-sama," were the words I thought she whimpered as she held the paper to her heart, "I'm trying my best, but... I don't think I can keep this up much longer."

I pitied her for a moment. A voice in the back of my mind told me to go over there and try to comfort her. Of course, I ignored it, using my hatred for her as an excuse. But I was still curious what she was talking to herself about when I returned to my room. I had never seen Shion cry before, whenever I saw her before that point, she was always smiling or had a serious look on her face, but never crying or frowning. In an instant, it hit me. All the expressions her visage wore were simply masks of her inner feelings, that must've been the pain I sensed inside her when we first met. What I really thought about the most was who was this Keisuke, and what did Shion mean by trying her best, but not being able to keep this up much longer? I didn't want to dwell on it too much, but even though I intended not to, I still did. I think I was pondering about it for the rest of the night. 

The very next day at the crack of dawn, Kenshin and I had left the Satsuma Camp, we just said our farewells to Saigo, no one else. I guess I should've, kind of, said good-bye to Shion, she did save my life from one of Saito's men the night before. Anyway, Kenshin and I had returned to the Cho Shu inn in no time. All the men were all meeting in the kitchen for breakfast, which was a good thing, Kenshin and I hadn't eaten before we left.

"Ah, Kenshin-kun, Mina-kun, you've returned," Katsura greeted us as we took our usual seats.

"Katsura-dono, Mina has completed her training, that she has," Kenshin reported as we were handed our usual bowl of rice and pork.

"Perfect, then it's time we put it to good use," Katsura said as he rose from his seat.

"What do you have in mind, Katsura-dono?" I asked, blurting out another one of Kenshin's trademark lines.

"Our spies have gotten word that the Bakufu are heading to Kyoto tonight," Katsura explained, "the Shinsengumi numbers have dwindled the passed few days thanks to the first squad's leader, Okita Soushi, falling even more ill to his disease. The first squad's numbers have fallen so short that the Shinsengumi have asked the Shogunate to send in replacements from Edo. According to our spies, the new troops should be arriving at around eight this evening from the north side of the city. Their numbers are reported to be around sixty men, there should be no problem for our men to exterminate these forces. In case the Shinsengumi have anything planned, Satsuma and Cho Shu Clans will each send in a squad of fifty men. Kenshin and Mina, you two will be a part of this attack."

"Hai, I understand, sir," Kenshin said, rising from his seat to bow at our leader.

"We will not fail you, sir, that we won't," I followed my brother's lead, copying another one of his trademark phrases again.

"In the meantime you two should get some rest," Katsura suggested, "this assignment could take all night so be fully rested before the operation commences."

"Does he always give us assignments during breakfast?" I asked Kenshin as soon as Katsura had left the room.

"Not all the time," Kenshin answered as he popped a shred of pork into his mouth, "Katsura-dono usually gives us our assignments during lunch or leisure hours, that he does."

"In other words, whenever he gets word of something going on, right?" I took a morsel of rice into my chopsticks..

"Hai," Kenshin answered, finishing the rest of his meal in the same instant.

Hearing these words from Kenshin, it was then I realized what kind of mess I'd gotten into. We were fighting in the dark, striking at the last opportunity; we always had to be prepared for the worst every second we lived. Life in the Ishin Shishi was basically living on the edge, at any moment you could fall off if you're not careful. I would stay on that edge, however, just for a chance to be with him.

Before we commenced operations, Kenshin and I stayed in our room, taking it easy, just talking like a normal family would. We sat around the small table over a glass of sake, I can recall our conversation vividly.

"It's good," I said after I took a sip of the warmed alcohol, "this is the best sake I've ever tasted, that it is."

Again, I had repeated another one of my brother's phrases. I don't know why, perhaps his influence was growing on me, that it was. There, you see, my manner of speech in the present is proof of this, that it is, although I try not to say the 'that I do' stuff as much as he did.

"Is something the matter?" Kenshin asked soon after.

It didn't occur to me that I was staring out into space after I spoke of the sake. My thoughts had begun to linger to my family, that is, my real family. Just sitting at the table reminded me of them. Father, Mother, and I would always sit at the table during winter days such as this, especially when the snow had really begun to fall. We'd talk about old times, days such as my first steps, the first time I went out fishing and how I caught my first and quickly threw it back into the river after because I was so scared, or the first time I cooked rice for the whole family and for some reason it turned out black. But I couldn't talk about those days, nor could I make any more days like that.

"Just sitting here like this...," I answered, my eyes pointed toward the floor, catching a glimpse of his feet as I did so, "it reminds me of spending time with my family. Father, Mother, and I would always sit around the table like this, talking about old times over tea or sake during holidays. It pains me to just sit here like this, knowing I can't create any more memories with them," I sniffed as my eyes shut to keep my emotions back. "I wish they were still here, I wish we can talk about old times."

"Mina, I'm your brother, aren't I?" Kenshin asked, placing his hand on my shoulder. "You can talk to me about anything, that you can."

"I know, Kenshin, it's just that it's not the same," I turned away from the feel of his touch, "you weren't there, you didn't share the experiences my family and I had, it just doesn't feel right to share my memories with you, or anyone who wasn't there."

"Mina, if we are to be a family, then it is best that we share those memories, despite us not being there ourselves," Kenshin explained, "if you don't share them, they'll just eat you up inside, that they will. You said you are unable to create new memories because of the death of your family, and if that's true, than would our time together have not have occurred?"

Those words left me in silence. He had made his point; there is no way I can go on in life sulking like this. I don't know why I got depressed so suddenly, but for some reason Kenshin's words quickly got me out of that depression. I had to say something after, but I couldn't really think of anything, so I just decided to blurt out the first thing that came into mind.

"...I remember the first time I had sake," I brought up a moment from my past, "I was five."

"Five? You're parents actually let you drink when you were that young?" Kenshin asked, surprised.

"No, they were out in the fields working," I explained, "I was rummaging through the cabinets and I just stumbled upon a bottle. I drank about half the thing and I was so drunk after, I practically lined the whole floor with my own vomit."

"That's disgusting!" Kenshin said with a slight chuckle.

"I had such a hangover the next morning as well," I continued, a smile now perched on my face, "my head hurt so much, not to mention I had to clean up the mess I made the other day. That didn't help much either."

"That's pretty funny," Kenshin said as he wiped away the tear coming from his eyes due to his laughter.

"Yeah, I guess it is," I said, my stomach hurting from my laughter. "So, Kenshin, do you have any tales of your own?"

"Well, there was this one time when I was about ten or so," Kenshin began, "I was so hungry after two hours of training, and my master was in town getting us some more food. I couldn't wait until he got back so there were these mushrooms growing next to the house..."

We continued talking until it was time. We spoke of our embarrassing moments when we were kids, the best times we had in our families, and for once, I felt like we were a real family. He truly did feel like an older brother, and yet, I was still in love with him as a wife would love her husband. We were interrupted by Katsura, and it was then we realized that the entire area was now being illuminated by the stars.

"Kenshin-kun, Mina-kun, it's time," Katsura said as he interrupted our conversation.

"Do you have any more tales, Mina?" Kenshin asked as I got my sword off the floor.

"Hai," I answered as I slid the katana next to it's sister on my belt.

"Be sure and tell them to me once we get back, okay?" Kenshin said as he rose to his feet.

The night was so cold, ice was practically sealed inside my eyes. It stung just to touch my clothing, ice had practically grown everywhere. Droplets of white fell from the heavens once we reached our position. The moment one would touch your skin, it would freeze and burn you at the same time. It was also very dark, I couldn't even see my icy breath with each huff I made. The ground was also slick, the snow must've melted into water and then froze over. Kenshin, our squad, and I practically slid to our destination. 

We met with the Satsuma squad leader shortly. He told us the enemy was to come from the bamboo forest close by, and as they were wearing white bandanas, it should be easy to spot them. Luckily the soldiers of Cho Shu and Satsuma were all wearing navy blue, there was no way we could be spotted so easily. We waited in the forest for what seemed like an eternity, they must've been running late. I couldn't fall asleep during the ordeal, my eye lids seemed to be frozen in place and the throbbing of my heart continued to thump as fast as a windmill during a storm. Finally they arrived, I saw halos of white coming from a distance. My fingers were tightly wrapped around my sword's hilt, and it was time to strike. I would've attacked, but then I remembered how my brashness got me in trouble with Saito. Instead, I waited with the others, waiting for the order to attack.

"Mina, stay close to me when the fighting begins," Kenshin ordered under his breath.

"Hai," I nodded, my eyes never leaving the trail of the enemy.

"Attack!" the order finally came.

In the very instant, the entire area became a battlefield. Corpses were already lined everywhere within the first few seconds of battle. The adrenaline I had from my training had returned, my heart was beating as fast as a dragonfly's wings. I didn't even bother to see the face of the first man I sliced, I don't even recall his scream.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Do-Ryu-Sen!" I screamed as I struck the ground with my blade, the pieces of earth impaling several Bakufu soldiers.

"Ryu-Tsui-Sen!" I turned around to find Kenshin splitting a soldier in half. "You still okay?" Kenshin asked as he lined his back against mine.

"Hai, and you?" I answered, tightening the grip on my blade.

"Hai," he answered.

In the next instant, we both dashed in opposite was, blindly striking each man we came across. The pale white glow of the moon was now a bright red. Everywhere I turned, that was the only color I saw, red. I could feel my blade as it dismembered every limb, cracked every bone, and embedded craters of scarlet it left on the enemy. I soon found my brother and myself directly across from each other, closing in on one survivor. With a nod from the both of us, we both sheathed our blades, and then we dashed toward each other, boxing our enemy in a smaller area. In the same moment when we were on par with the man, both of our blades clicked as Kenshin and I began sliding the steel from it's oak case. Crimson flew in opposite directions, his head following one stream and his torso the other, his legs still in the same position they were when the man was sliced. More Bakufu had come at that instant, surrounding Kenshin and me from the rest of our forces. Kenshin and I were back to back again. I heard Kenshin as his teeth slid against each other and I heard the curses under his breath. It didn't look good.

"Mina, are you ready?" Kenshin asked, readying his sword once more.

"No need to ask," I answered and I suddenly found myself dashing forward.

Something just didn't feel right when I charged. My arms were swinging my blade about with no input and my legs were pushing me in the air when I had not wanted them to. My body was acting on it's own, and I was merely watching it's actions through it's eyes. It was odd and rather disturbing what I had seen. I had seen my body lunge my blade through a man, slide the blade upward toward the man's skull, splitting it as it did so, and then slice the rest of the body horizontally, cutting the entire man in four. My body had then turned around a slit, a small crevice in the next enemy's body, revealing a long string-like organ. The blade then impaled itself on the organ, and my arms quickly tugged at it, pulling it, a larger and similar organ, and a gush of crimson with it. The man died a slow and horrible death, I could tell by the cringe on his face when he died. My left foot quickly kicked the intestines away after, kicking it into the face of an oncoming enemy. The enemy was blinded by the string-like muscle, giving my body the opportunity to strike. It sliced at the base of his arms, rendering him armless, and then it struck the base of his neck. Three different streams of blood sprayed violently after, tainting my entire body. My body had not cared, it just continued fighting. I had lost track of Kenshin as my body fought, and eventually the some of the enemy began to back away.

"Mina, go after them!" my squad leader ordered as he and some of my allies fought the remaining Bakufu.

"Hai," my body responded without my input.

I was now chasing down the four that had ran. I had instantly lost sight of them as I chased them, their white bandanas must've now been discarded. I still couldn't control my own body, but I was still able to sense the enemy. They were hiding close by, two to my right, and two to my left, hiding behind the shrubbery. Then they all came from each angle in the same instant. It would've been my death if it were myself controlling my body, but again, it acted on it's own. It somehow jumped to the peaks of the bamboo forest, and I was plummeting down, my katana's edge leading the way.

"Ryu-Tsui," it screamed as the blade broke through one man's skull, "Shou-Sen!" the blade slid against the skin of the next man's neck and sliced off his lower jaw.

The other two took a step back and crimson rivers oozed from the broken heads. More red had painted me and my body did not care. Then it reacted on it's own again, spiraling towards the soldier on my right.

"Ryu-Kan-Sen-Arashi!" it screamed as the blade quickly diced through the enemy.

I turned toward the remaining soldier and he began to run in the opposite direction. I began to chase again, but I had lost him in the darkness. I found him again though, he was paralyzed by a flame glowing before him. The flame rested on a glimmer of steel, and holding that steel was a man, one I had never seen before. A sharp chin, hair as brown as mud and tied in the same manner as Kenshin's and mine, and eyes as red as blood itself. It was then that I regained control of my body, only now I was paralyzed with the same fear my enemy had. The mysterious man then plunged his burning blade into the man's heart, and left it in there for a few seconds, the fire burning his heart as it did so. With a grin on his face a few seconds later, the man withdrew his blade from the enemy soldier, the body quickly collapsing afterward. The fire was still burning on his blade as he turned to face me. He whipped his blade to the side, the fire had died, and then he began to approach me. 

Wherever he stepped, the snow had melted to the impression of his foot. That grin never left his face as he approached me. He stopped when his body was directly next to mine, a few centimeters to my left, that grin still on his face.

"You forgot something," the man said, pointing to the corpse of the enemy soldier.

I quickly turned around to find the man disappearing into the forest, his foot steps continuing to melt the snow as he walked. I stood there frozen again, remaining in that same spot until my brother had arrived.

"Mina, are you all right?" he asked once he found me.

"...Hai...," I quickly answered once I realized he was there.

"Mina, you've gotten blood all over you," Kenshin began wiping some of the substance away although most of it was already dry. "Well, I'm glad you're all right," Kenshin said after giving up, "let's go back and give you a bath."

"Hai, that would be nice," I said, placing a fake smile on my face as I did so.

As Kenshin, the squad, and I walked out of the forest, I couldn't notice my own reflection in the melted snow that man had made. It seemed normal at first, but in a split second, there was a grin on it's face. A sinister grin, one similar to Jin'eh's. My mouth was stretched from ear-to-ear, my teeth visible close to my lips, and those eyes, they weren't mine. Eyes as bright as the sun, those yellow eyes, how they frightened me. I quickly clung onto my brother once I saw those eyes, burying my face in his shoulder.

"Mina, what's the matter?" he asked.

"My eyes," I answered, tightening the grip on my brother's sleeve, "they're..."

"I don't see anything wrong with them," he said as he lifted my chin to face him.

Peering in to his, I could see my reflection. They were no longer yellow, lavender as they always were, and there was no grin on it.

"It must've been my imagination," I told myself after seeing this.

"Do they hurt or something?" Kenshin asked, still peering into my eyes.

"No, I guess I'm... kinda sleepy," I answered.

That reflection of me, it still haunts me to this very day. The grin and those eyes, they were no figment of my imagination, they were real, they weren't mine, they were her's, the Hitokiri Kensai.

Chapter 11 Liner Notes  
  


What was wrong with Shion when Mina was still in the Satsuma camp?- You'll find out why, but for now let's just say it has to do with this 'Keisuke' character she mentioned. Oh, and she wasn't in the squad when Mina and Kenshin attacked the Bakufu soldiers.  
  


Who are the 'Bakufu'?- The Bakufu are the Shogunate's army, the Shinsengumi, however, were basically the police of the Shogunate, not actual soldiers of the Shogunate.  
  


What was with Mina when she couldn't control her body?- Just like how Kenshin has his whole "Battousai-mode" thing, Mina has her "Kensai-mode" when she's been angered enough, but unlike her brother, she can go into this mode if she fights for an extended period of time (at least in this part of the story).  
  


Who was that guy with the 'burning sword'?- Who else could it be, it was Shishio (he hasn't been burned yet so he's still the hitokiri for the Cho Shu Clan).  
  


(Next time: "I have met another creature as I am pulled further into this world, a creature by the name of Shishio Makoto. The fires of hell coarse through his veins and through his talons of steel, cutting and searing all that he claws. Another creature has come into his territory other than myself, one who's presence could possibly douse the flames..." -Himura Mina)  
  


Author's Note: Hope that wasn't too violent, heck, it grossed me out when I read over it. Hopefully you guys will still enjoy the story despite these violent descriptions (sorry to say, but it will get a bit more violent until chapter 14 I think, then it begins to tone down a little after). Anyway, please leave me a review, but not a flame (actually, I'll make a small exception this time, if it's about the violence, then tell me so I can tone it down for later chapters). Oh, and I'd like to thank Emiri-chan for reviewing nearly every chapter, your reviews inspire me to continue writing and posting and hopefully you'll still read this fic even with it's new violent content.


	13. A Flame in the Shadows

Author's Note: So I'm guessing there's no complaints on the violence, right? Okay then, we got a very special guest star in this chapter, and I'm pretty sure you know who it is if you read the last chapter. So, without further interruptions, let's begin.

  
  


Chapter 12: A Flame in the Shadows

  
  


The very first thing I wanted to do as soon as we returned from our attack was to take a bath. Upon returning into the inn, I was now able to see the ruby red liquid now dried all over my entire body. My appearance drew in the attention of everyone in the room, all those eyes, not a sign of expression in any of them, they looked just like white orbs with dots in the center, staring blindly at me. It couldn't be helped, the blood was everywhere, my hair, my clothes, even my face. I averted my eyes from them, turning them to the floor, watching the remaining droplets of red fall to the oak boards.

"Let's go, Mina," Kenshin said as he tugged my arm, "you go wait in the room while I warm up the bath for you."

I continued staring at the floor as I walked toward my room, no, not walking, dragging myself. For some reason some kind of force was holding my entire body down, trying to drag me to the center of the Earth. I sat alone in the west corner of the room, staring at the yellow-greenish tatami, now painted with a few spots of scarlet. My body was still being weighed down, what was the force that did this, guilt? Perhaps it was, because I can also hear some kind of voice somewhere around the room, my voice, though it wasn't lecturing to me how killing was wrong, it did quite the opposite.

"You enjoyed that, didn't you?" it asked suddenly.

"How can you say that?!" I retorted, my head shooting up to where I thought the voice had come from.

There was no one in the room, I found myself staring at the other side of the room. All I could see before me was the sakura blossom design of the closet door.

"My mind must've been playing tricks on me," I thought as my sank back to my knees.

"The fountains of blood, the crashing of bone and sinew, you enjoyed it all, you practically bathed in it," the voice taunted again.

"Who are you?!" I yelled, springing to my feet in an instant. "What the hell do you want from me?!"

"Mina, Mina, Mina," the voice chuckled as I reached for the sword on my belt, "you're so quick to anger."

"Che...," I spat as my fingers began to get a grip on my katana's handle.

"So easily taunted," the voice continued it teases, "you're pathetic. You're letting me take control of you."

"What do you mean?" I said, trying to cool down.

"You're losing yourself," the voice snickered again, "you're unstable."

"Unstable?" the grip on my sword began to loosen.

"You don't know what you really want," it continued, "you don't know what you want in life. Is it fame you wish for? Is it to be feared? Or is it him?"

"I don't understand what you're saying," I yelled once more, hitting my fist against the wall as I did so.

"You went after Saito a few weeks ago," the voice suddenly became calm, "why did you do that? Did you want to make a name for yourself just as Kenshin did?"

"I don't know...," I answered, my face turning to the floor again.

"When you fought those Bakufu dogs just now, you slew every one of them with no mercy, showing off the power of your sword by massacring the enemy relentlessly. You wanted everyone to fear you. Is that what you want?"

"I don't know...," my knees suddenly gave away, sending my body to the floor.

"Or do you fight just so you can be with him, that man who thinks of you as his sister, and to stay by his side you fight by him. Is that what you want?" the voice asked once more.

"I DON'T KNOW!" I screamed, wrapping my hands behind my head.

"One such as yourself isn't suited for the sword," the voice laughed, "I bet you don't even know why you took it up."

"Just...SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, flinging my blade to the other side of the room.

"Mina, what's the matter?!" Kenshin suddenly burst into the room, coming to my aid.

"Voices...," I answered, my eyes turning away from his. "Can't you hear them?"

He looked at me oddly, a blank expression on his face. He turned his head from side to side for a few seconds and then looked back at me with that blank expression still there.

"I don't hear or see anybody," Kenshin answered.

"Am I really unstable?" I asked myself as I tried to recollect my breath. "Am I really not made for the sword?"

"Give up while you're ahead," the voice suddenly whispered, "the life of a warrior will only bring you sadness."

"Che!" I banged my fist on the tatami as I rose to my feet.

"Mina, are you...?" Kenshin asked as I dragged myself out of the room.

"It's...just been a long night," I answered, "I...must've fallen asleep and had a nightmare of some sort."

"Oh, okay, enjoy your bath," Kenshin said with a wave of his hand.

The piping hot water in the tub was hot enough to warm my skin, yet cold enough to cool my head. That voice I heard back there, what was it exactly? I still haven't even figured out what it was in the present, but I'm afraid that wasn't the last time I heard it.

"Mina, you idiot," I scolded myself, "you're just imagining things. Losing control of your own body, where the hell did you get that idea? You did it all, and don't think of an excuse to get yourself out of this."

"I really did all of that," I thought as I got my right hand out of the bath, "these hands really did spill all that blood..." I looked at the fair complexion of my skin, now washed away from the ruby red liquid I had bathed in before. "All this killing must be getting to my conscience," I sighed as I slipped my hand back into the bath.

"Is everything all right in there?" I heard Kenshin's voice as he knocked on the other side of the door.

"Hai," I answered, sinking even deeper in the pool, "hey Kenshin, why don't you join me?"

"ORO?!" was the only word I heard before a large thud crashed from outside, causing the tub to rumble a bit. "Gomen, Mina, but I... uh... I think I'll go to sleep now, that I will," I heard Kenshin as a collection of footsteps running followed after his voice.

"Oh well," I sighed, a smile now perched on my face as my foot dangled on the other side of the pool.

"A reputation," Shion's voice suddenly echoed in my head, "I don't see how you could get when there's not much to look at, you're as flat as a board!"

Just when I had finally relaxed, those words just had to pop back into my head.

"What was her problem?" I grumbled, my body sinking deeper into the tub that my lips were in sync with the water's surface. "I'm not that flat, am I?" I asked myself.

God it was such a horrible night, first that stupid voice and then Shion's taunts came back into mind. By the time my bath was done, I was still rather angry, Shion's taunts continued to echo through my head as I washed. Maybe I did think she was right about my body, and maybe I was kind of angry about it. It's definitely not my fault for being this way, besides, I was fourteen then, of course I wouldn't be 'developed' like her, she was two years older than me. Now why am I talking about this?

Getting back to my story, when I returned to the inn, all the lights were out and it was quiet. All the men had gone to sleep, but I'm pretty sure Kenshin was still wide awake after my invitation. I hadn't eaten much all day so I decided to head to the kitchen to pick up some leftovers. Not a speck of light in the room, but I was still able to tell where everything was. I grabbed a leftover bowl of rice and fish, as well as a pair of chopsticks, bringing it to the dining room after. As soon as I reached the dining room, I noticed I wasn't alone, there was someone else in there, he was sitting in the corner, his silhouette was barely visible in the shadows. I slowly approached the individual, he didn't seem to mind as he continued to eat his meal quietly. Once I stood in front of him, I instantly knew who he was, it was that guy from earlier, with the fire sword.

"You want something?" he asked as he took a sip of his drink.

"Oh, I, uh...," I found myself stuttering, probably still afraid of the individual.

"No wait, I heard about you," the man said as he rose from his seat, "Hitokiri Battousai right? My predecessor. I heard about your feminine appearance, but I didn't think you were an actual woman."

"No, you got it all wrong," I answered with the shake of my head, "I'm his sister, Himura Mina."

"Oh, the new guy, or should I say girl," the man sank back to his seat, continuing his meal, "Have a seat," the man patted the seat next to his.

"Arigatou," I sat, placing my meal on the table before me. "Um, excuse me, sir, who are you exactly?" I asked, my eyes fixed on my food as I spoke.

"I'm the guy who does your dirty work," the man answered rather rudely, "the hitokiri for the Cho Shu Clan, Shishio Makoto."

"I see, Shishio-dono," I had blurted out the honorific phrase of my brother.

"What exactly are you doing here," he asked, still acting rather rude, "the battlefield isn't made for delicate flowers like yourself, so go home."

"I'm not a delicate flower," I began to raise my voice, "I'm a samurai just like all of you!"

"Are you really?" Shishio asked with a sip of his tea. "There's a hint of uncertainty in your voice. I think you're more suited in serving your family than the Ishin Shishi, you don't look like you're made for the sword."

"What makes you say that?!" I spat, rising from my seat.

"For one, the uncertainty in your voice," Shishio began his series of answers, "don't get me wrong, but I'm guessing you joined just so you can be with someone, like your brother perhaps."

"Damn, he's right about the Kenshin thing," I thought as I bit my lower lip.

"Two, you don't seem to know what you want in life, I can see it your eyes," Shishio continued.

"I bet he's the one who made that voice," I said in my head, still listening to Shishio's answer.

"And three, your body isn't built for the sword," Shishio finished.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at my body from head to toe.

"You're too scrawny, no real muscle," he said, taking a hold of my right arm.

"My brother's built like me and he's the top soldier for the Ishin Shishi!" I yanked my arm back. "I am a samurai warrior, just like all of you, it doesn't matter how I'm built or why I joined."

"Really? Then prove it!" he said, taking up a sword resting against the wall.

"You want to fight me?" I asked, quickly taking up my own blade.

"No, it'd be a waste to kill a little girl like you. Come with me and let's see if you really are built for the sword," he said, a grin stretching across his face as he spoke.

"I'm not going with you," I said, turning my back on the man.

"Then my theory is right," Shishio said, turning the opposite way as me, "you're afraid and you don't want me to prove your weakness."

"That's not it!" I answered, quickly turning to face his back.

"Is it because you think I'm going to rape you or something?" he asked. "Don't worry, I don't find you attractive so I wouldn't even think about that for a second."

"You're such a smart ass...," I insulted him in my head as I my fingers balled into a fist. 

"All right, I'll prove to you that I'm a warrior, I'll go with you!" I blurted out suddenly. "Oh man, now I've done it," I kicked myself after saying those words.

"All right, then let's go," Shishio said, leading the way out of the inn. "But before that, you should take this," a ball of white linen suddenly fell into my hands.

"Bandages, what for, I'm not injured," I said as I unraveled the material.

"Your brother never told you, did he?" Shishio sighed. "You wrap around your bust to prevent injury, or in your case, where your bust's supposed to be."

"Goddammit, why does everyone think I'm flat?!" I just wanted to scream but the words never came.

"Well what about Shion, she doesn't wear them," I found myself bringing up the name of that stupid bitch who began this trend.

"Shion, oh, the chick with the rack who works for the Satsuma Clan," Shishio knew who I spoke of, "in her case, she can't wear them. Her tits are so big that if she were to bind them, she'd have breathing problems."

"I don't know," I thought, "Saito might've solved that problem when he cut her a few nights ago."

"Look, we can have this idle chatter anytime, but right now is the only time have the patience to see this so called 'samurai spirit' of your's, so let's get a move on!" Shishio suddenly darted out the door.

"What a prick!" I spat after the vulgar man left.

It was still cold out once we left the inn, the streets were as barren as ever. The sky had become brighter, yet the air was still musty. The ground was no longer layered with ice, but water, maybe because Shishio's steps had somehow melted it. Water trickled against my toes with each step I made, the water had somehow seeped into my socks and shoes. Shishio was silent during our walk, he never stopped to say a word, he just continued on as if he were walking alone. We stopped at a corner though, Shishio had pressed his back against the splintered wall and ordered me to do the same with a motion of his hand. I followed that order, my body slid against the rough oak with some of the rough surface poking my back as it did so. Something was going on, I knew it.

"Five Mibu dogs," Shishio said under his breath as he stuck his head out of the corner. "Here's your chance," he said with his head turning back to face me, "prove to me you are a samurai, go!"

"Go what?" I asked, confused by the order he had given me.

"Kill them!" he spoke as loud as he could without alerting the enemy.

"But those weren't Katsura-dono's orders, that they weren't!" I refused with two of Kenshin's mottos in one sentence. "Besides, why should I kill those men, what have they done?"

"You truly are just a woman," Shishio said with his back turning toward me, "go back home and prepare your brother's breakfast!"

"I'm not a woman!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I am a samurai!"

"What was that?" one of the Wolves must've heard my scream.

"I...am a representative of the heavens' wrath!" I screamed as I jumped out of the corner.

My fingers quickly wrapped around the hilt of my blade, the steel quickly kissing air in the instant it slid from it's wooden case. My feet began to push against the ground, pushing it so hard that the stars were now within my grasp, but then the earth quickly began to push my back, my body being sucked back to it's surface. I swung my blade downward as I prepared to meet the ground, the steel slab cleaving away at the Wolf's shoulder, grinding his bone as it did so. The geyser that erupted was followed by a whimper, which quickly died with a push of my sword toward his throat. More ruby liquid sprayed, but I didn't seem to mind. I turned to my side to find three more Wolves, their fangs bared as their blades led their way. I remained in place, the tip of my katana slitting the planet, and with the raise of my arm, it's solid blood sprayed outward in their directions, impaling each of them against the earth's skin. I turned to the remaining, huddled against the floor, trying to crawl up the invisible ladder on the wall next to him. His mouth was being drawn to the floor as his eyes began to melt into liquid, I just took my time, step by step, not an expression on my face, I just knew the man had to die. Before he died, I showed him the light, the pale glow of the moon reflected off the shimmering blade in my hand, showing him the grimace on his face as he died. It was done, and I stood there in the masses without a frown nor smile on my face. My eyes were locked to the ground, locked at the rivers of crimson that I had befallen on the earth. I was expressionless, and yet, there was something that wanted to escape my eyes, tears perhaps, but there's no way I would let them fall.

"My impression of you was wrong," Shishio interrupted my moment of glory with an applause, "you truly are a samurai."

"Hai, I guess I am," my eyes left the rivers, turning back to the man.

"You two," a voice suddenly interrupted our conversation, "what are you doing here?"

I turned to the man, it was one I had never seen before. He was an odd one, he wore the colors of neither Ishin Shishi nor the Bakufu. I couldn't tell the color he wore because of the pale glow of the moon, but I'm guessing it was green. His hair was as black as the night, it blended in perfectly, his katana was laced with scratches and dents, I'm sure it had met many blades and taken even more lives, and his smell, so much blood, it would easily suffocate the average man.

"Who are you?" I asked the man, my sword still pointed at the ground but ready to strike.

"My name is Usui," the man answered, "I work for the Bakufu, and now that you know who I am, I must kill you!" he said as pointed his sword upward, both hands grasping the hilt.

"You, stay back," Shishio ordered with the pull of his katana.

"No, he's mine!" I said with the shake of my head.

"Know you're limits," Shishio advised, "besides, I think my Kotetsu is thirsty since your blade sucked out the life out of those five."

I looked back to the man and observed him for a moment, reading his ki as I did so. It was gruesome, this man had no pity for those he had killed, not a feeling of holding back. He enjoyed the color and smell of blood, and also the taste. He was probably sicker than Jin'eh, no, he was, and stronger as well. There was no way I could have defeated such a man, so I took Shishio's advice and stood down.

"Usui, huh," Shishio asked as his blade dragged against the ground, "you will be another victim of my Homuradama!"

I took a step back, my katana slipping back into it's ruby red sheath as I did so. Usui started first, a step forward followed with a push of his sword with both hands. Shishio easily saw this, stepping to the side as he did so. Shishio's sword took the opposite way though, gliding through the air toward Usui's face. The scarred blade of Usui met it though, engraving another mark on it's dull surface. What I had seen next was an amazing feat, pulling his sword toward him, a spark grew from their swords, and suddenly, Shishio's blade was now engulfed in flames. Usui was surprised by the sight, paralyzed with shock as he watched the flames dance before him. Shishio took advantage of this, slicing upward in a diagonal fashion as he did so. Usui brought his scarred sword upward once more, and with one more meeting, the dulled blade shattered in two, both halves caught on fire. The burning Kotetsu struck the left eye of Usui, practically melting the sphere form of his eyes as white ooze poured out of it's socket, but in a second later, the right eye followed the same fate, caught in the same angle of Shishio's attack.

"Argh!" the now blind Usui screamed, the white ooze that were once his eyes now seeping into the cracks of the street.

"We're finished here," Shishio said with a sigh, walking right passed me as I continued to observe the man's pain.

"Such savagery...," I said as I slowly crept away from the sight, my hand never leaving my heart as I walked away.

We returned to the inn shortly, no more stops. I was still traumatized at what I had just witnessed, my heart was practically trying to jump out of my chest. My eyes were frozen and unblinking, that gruesome sight would forever be stuck in my memory.

"You really were built for the sword," Shishio said as he opened the door to the inn, "no woman that I've ever met would've killed a man so gruesomely. I guess I'll see you some other time then," Shishio said with a wave as he began walking into the inn.

"Wait!" I stopped Shishio by grabbing his shoulder.

"What is it?" Shishio asked with his back still turned.

"Doesn't it bother you?" I asked. "Doesn't your conscience ever tell you what you're doing is wrong? Don't you have any guilt for the people you kill?"

"Killing is one of things that gets easier the more you do it," Shishio responded, "and since I've done it so often, this thing you call a conscience no longer exists in my mind, so I feel nothing for the people I kill. I thought you were samurai, I guess I was wrong," Shishio began to take another step forward.

"So you're saying I'm not a warrior?!" I yelled as he continued to his room.

"You are a warrior," he answered, "but of a different breed. You can kill others without hesitation, yet you still feel pity for them in the end. I can tell you've killed many, more than the average soldier in your short time here, yet your conscience is as strong as ever. A warrior such as yourself is a dying breed in this world, and I envy that..."

With those words, Shishio had disappeared into the shadows of the inn, it would be a while before I would meet him again, his words staying with me afterward, engraved into my mind. I am a warrior, but of a different breed, it didn't make sense to me back then, but now, in the present, I think I understand what he meant...

  
  


Chapter 12 Liner Notes

  
  


The battle between Shishio and Usui- They never really explained how Shishio fought Usui in the Rurouni Kenshin series, so I decided to explain the fight in my story. Shishio had somehow blinded Usui in the Rurouni Kenshin series, and so, my take on it was that Shishio slashed Usui in the eyes with his Homuradama, melting his eyes in the process.

  
  


(Next time: "Throughout my stay here, I have touched the lives of many with my sword, running from the creature that continues to chase me as I do so. I think it is time to take a break, to live amongst the lives I have saved for a short while, touching their lives not with my sword, but my heart. Even as I enjoy this vacation, I know that creature is behind me, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike..." -Himura Mina) 

  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was it? Too violent, or can you take it? Anyway, why don't you drop me a review, I'll only accept flames about the violence, that's all. Yeah, I know the violence is kinda overwhelming, but no I am not insane nor am I sick individual. Emiri-chan, I must thank you again for reviewing nearly every chapter, I hope you still enjoy this fic regardless of the violent path it's beginning to take.


	14. Tainting Lives

Author's Note: Well this sucks, no more NC-17 rated material anymore on fanfiction.net! I know this fic isn't rated NC-17, but there were going to be some NC-17 scenes later on such as two attempted rape scenes, one coming up within about two to four chapters, the other in chapter 21 or so, a lemon coming up near the end of this fic, and some other stuff that happens. So here's the deal, I'll post the edited version of this story on fanfiction.net and I'll post the uncut version on this website I'm making (it's not up yet by the way, I'll tell the site's URL when I'm finished.) Anyway, this latest chapter's a bit slow in the beginning, but it's still required reading to enjoy the entire story. Well enough of me ranting away, let's get this show on the road!

  
  


Chapter 13: Tainting Lives

  
  


A warrior of a different kind, the words Shishio left me echoed through my head as I tried to sleep. I'm no samurai according to him, yet I am still a warrior, a different and rare kind. I thought Kenshin would know something about this so I decided I would ask him during breakfast. Breakfast came sooner than expected, it had come about two hours after I had fallen asleep. I must've stayed up late the other night, that trip with Shishio was probably longer than I expected. The meal for the day was something different, something that was kind of rare to eat in the Cho Shu Clan, poultry served with fried eggs.

"Well this is an odd treat, that it is," Kenshin said as our dishes were handed to us. "Mina, did you sleep well last night?" Kenshin asked as he grabbed one of the yellow rolls of egg.

"Hai...," I answered with a nod. "Say, Brother," I decided to bring up my conversation with Shishio, "what kind of warrior am I?"

"What do you mean?" Kenshin asked after he gulped down the undeveloped bird.

"Last night I had a conversation with Hitokiri Shishio, that I did," I explained, "we went out for a little walk and he said I wasn't a samurai warrior, he said I was one that didn't hesitate to kill yet my conscience is as strong as ever. Kenshin, what kind of warrior is that?"

"...I don't know, Mina," Kenshin answered, "all I know is you're the same as me."

"I am?" I asked, taking a piece of poultry to my mouth.

"You kill without holding back, and yet you still feel bad for those you've murdered," Kenshin explained, "that's how you feel, right? If that's the case, I feel the same way, that I do."

"I see," I nodded, looking back to my meal, "so then, what kind of warriors are we?"

"We'll have to find out for ourselves someday," Kenshin answered, "because right now all we can do is fight to create a new era, we don't have time for soul-searching unfortunately."

"Get back here!" I suddenly heard the yell of one of the other soldiers coming from across the hall.

"That's Tetsu!" Kenshin's head quickly sprang up. "Sister, it could be one of the Bakufu, you stay here and I'll go help."

"Always trying to play hero, Brother," I quietly rose from seat, taking up my sword as I did so, "well I want to play too, unless this game doesn't allow girls."

"Stop!" Tetsu's yelling continued.

"No time to waste, let's go!" Kenshin ordered, taking the lead.

Wasting no time, Kenshin and I immediately sprang into action. Our feet glided against the newly waxed floor boards as we ran down the hall with all our might. The wind was practically cutting our bodies as dashed down the inn, but it failed to puncture our skin. Turning the corner where we heard the scream, Kenshin and I suddenly found ourselves on the floor, my behind hurting once it hit the tatami-free floor.

"Oro?" Kenshin and I said as we rubbed our injured areas.

"Watch where you're going!" two children across from us yelled.

Tetsu showed up then, his face red from exhaustion and his chest heaving up and down continuously after losing his breath. It all made sense now. Tetsu was chasing after the kids, but not chasing them as if he were going to hurt them, but chasing as if they were playing some sort of game.

"I...finally...caught...up...with...you," Tetsu panted as he fell to the floor next to the boys.

"Tetsu-dono, these boys are...?" Kenshin asked but was quickly cut off.

"My sons, Noboyuki and Satoshi," Tetsu answered as he wrapped his arms around the boys, "they're visiting me today with their mother. She's in the kitchen right now and she brought some food from the farm to treat everyone."

"So that explains the poultry and eggs," I said as I rose up to my feet.

"Daddy, can we play war?" the younger boy asked his father.

"Not inside, Satoshi," Tetsu smiled at the child, "play in the yard with your brother, okay?"

"What about you?" Noboyuki asked his father.

"I'm going to eat breakfast," Tetsu smiled, "but I'm sure my friends, Kenshin and Mina, will play with you."

"We'll play war with you, that we will," Kenshin smiled at the boys as he volunteered my services as well.

"Since when did I have any say in this?" I grumbled.

The yard was completely covered with white hills, you can practically bury yourself in one spot and no one would find you for days without a trace. The trees were covered in frost, if you flicked at a branch, I'm sure it would've shattered in an instant. Actually, everything in the yard was frozen, even the supply shed where we kept our spare weapons and practice equipment, it took Kenshin, the boys, and I to pull at it in order for it to open. We were each handed a shinai, although I would've preferred a bokken. Shinai felt awkward to me, the straight-blade of the bamboo sword just didn't give me the impression of a katana.

"Kenshin, why can't we use the bokken?" I asked once he handed me the bamboo stick.

"Because the bokken can really injure someone if you're not careful," Kenshin answered with his usual smile stretched across his face, "these shinai can only cause bruises at most."

"Well this sucks," I grumbled as I eyed the texture of my shinai. "Ow!" a sudden sting went through my whole system, starting from my side.

"Gomen," Satoshi apologized with a small smile perched on his face, his shinai in the very same spot where I felt the sting.

"Stupid little...," I began cursing at the little punk under my breath.

This had been the first time I've actually played with kids, at least when they were a lot younger than me. We were playing war, creating trenches out of the snow for bases and the shinai as our swords. I was stuck to play in Satoshi's side, the same boy who struck me with his shinai before the entire thing began. I can remember after a few minutes after the 'battle' began that we were trying to come up with a plan on how to sneak up on the 'enemy'.

"It's a simple combat formation," I went over the plan again for what seemed like the hundredth time, "you come from the left and I'll go from the right. It's called boxing in your enemy, why can't you see that?"

"You're a weird lady," Satoshi simply responded, getting even more on my nerves.

I tried not to lose my temper, he was only five years old at the time. I simply cooled down after a few short breaths, but then a sphere of white powder was suddenly thrown in my face, engulfing my entire face in a frozen substance. Satoshi laughed afterward while my temper shot back right up, but then I realized something. Taking a ball of the white powder in my own hand, I thought of another strategy, something the 'enemy' probably didn't think of yet. Suddenly I saw a flash of black and red barely standing atop a hill in front of us. I slowly crept closer, the snow beneath my feet absorbing the crunch of each step. I looked over the hill and found the enemy.

"Gotcha!" I screamed and threw the ball at the top of the red-haired general's head.

"Retreat!" Kenshin screamed as he and his comrade ran to the other side.

"Get them, Satoshi!" I ordered, as I collected another ball into my hand and quickly threw it toward the enemy.

They were on the run, a barrage of white chasing them as they dived into the nearest trench. I turned back to my short ally in 'arms', his smile was also stretched from ear to ear as threw the white ball. I don't know why, but now I was smiling too, just by seeing his face.

"Good job!" I patted the little one's hair.

Again, my face was covered in the frozen white powder, but instead of my smile turning into a sneer, it only widened as I retaliated with a snowball of my own. I felt a rush of adrenaline run through me, a different type from when I fought in actual combat. We threw the snow at each other back and forth, laughing with each one thrown. I'm sure we could've gone on all day and not get bored. Then without warning, we were caught in another barrage of snow, this one coming from the east.

"It's the enemy!" I yelled, realizing where the onslaught was coming from. "Run!"

I took the child into my arms and dived for the nearest trench, shielding him from our impending doom of powder. The firing died soon after, but I knew it wasn't the end. Taking up my 'sword', I decided to go in first and investigate. My eyes were nearly level with the peak of the trench, shifting from side to side, scouting for any hazards. It was safe, so I decided to venture out into the 'Great Unknown'. I only had to venture for a few seconds to be ambushed by the 'general', his 'sword' slicing the air as it darted for my face. I caught his blade with my own, each of us pushing our's toward the other, bringing us eye to eye. I could feel his breath as it tickled my face with each pant he made.

"Satoshi, give me a hand here!" I called and he quickly sprang into action, only to be engaged by the 'enemy general''s lacky.

"Surrender now," the 'general' ordered.

"Never!" I cried as I pushed the general back.

Creating a small distance between us, the 'general' didn't wait long to close the gap. His footsteps crashed like thunder as ran at me, his 'steel' blade slitting the ground deeper and deeper with each step he made.

"Do-Ryu-Sen!" he screamed as another barrage of powder flew at me.

Pushing the frozen ground underneath me with all the strength in my feet, I leapt toward the heavens, my blade held high enough that to sliced a cloud as it did so. Within seconds, I was falling toward the ground again, but now I had my 'sword' lead me on the way down.

"Ryu-Tsui-Sen!" I yelled before his blade caught me in midair.

I was able to roll forward in order to land behind him after he caught me, but easily saw through my next move. Our blades clashed again, but I didn't stay in place. I swung to the side, and again, it was deflected. Right and left, up and down, no matter where I swung, his 'sword' was always there. A smile slowly stretched across his face with every move I made, as I smiled with every block he made. I could see my smile in those lavender eyes of his, I could see all my effort with each swing, and I'm sure he could see his in mine. With a push of his blade when we locked once more, I suddenly found the whole world tumbling back, sending me lying on the floor. The 'general' had then pointed his sword at my throat, his foot stepping on the blade of mine.

"Surrender!" he ordered, his sword unwavering.

"Never!" I was able to roll away and pull my sword away from his feet as I did so.

We clashed again, our blades locking in different angles with the next attack.

"You're good," he said, that grin still on his face, "but not good enough!" The 'general' pushed his blade outward sending me a few steps back.

I didn't fall this time, and I was able to block the 'enemy''s counterattack, but the one that followed I had not expected. Instead of swinging toward my body, the 'steel' slapped the end of my hilt upward, sliding the sword out of grasp, flying upward until it dug itself in the snow far beyond my reach.

"You have lost," the 'general' smiled as he sheathed his blade.

"Kenshin-kun, Mina-kun," Katsura suddenly interrupted our 'battle', "get in here, we're having a meeting for tonight's assignment."

"Hai," the two of us called.

"Mina-nee-chan," Satoshi suddenly began to tug on my kimono sleeve, "where are you going? Don't you still want to play?"

"I'm sorry, Satoshi," I kneeled to the child, giving him the smile my brother always gave me, "but I have work to do now. I promise I'll come back as soon as I can, okay?"

"Okay, Mina-nee-chan," Satoshi smiled and ran back to his brother.

"Mina, you're quite good with kids, that you are," Kenshin told me as I watched the two boys continue playing.

The two were going at it just as how Kenshin and I were, trying to imitate my Ryu-Tsui-Sen and Kenshin's Do-Ryu-Sen. It was rather cute to watch them fall over and get bounce back up in the same instant. Kids, so adorable, so innocent yet blind from the horrors of the world. I wished I was still a child, not having to worry about anything, but I would soon realize the reason why I chose to lose this wish.

The meeting went on for hours, but I wasn't really paying attention to what Katsura was saying. I was concentrating more on the two boys outside, still going at it non-stop, as energetic as they were when they first started. How I longed to go out there and continue playing war with them, or any game for that matter. Of course that wasn't going to happen, I was considered an adult because of my age. Fourteen, that shouldn't even be considered as an adult, but then again, that age is too old for a child, maybe there should be an age class in between or something. Night had fallen once the meeting was over, and I didn't catch a single word throughout the whole time. As soon as it was over, I decided to run back out to the yard to continue the game, however, I only found nothing but white mounds plastered everywhere. I took my eyes off them for a second and suddenly they've disappeared.

"Tetsu," I caught a glimpse of their father as he passed the yard, "where are the boys?"

"Oh, they're asleep now," Tetsu answered, "they're resting in my room, why do you ask?"

"It's nothing," I answered, "it's just that I said that I'd play with them some more once the meeting was over."

"You really like them, I see," Tetsu chuckled, "you know Mina, I don't really think you're cut out for being a soldier," Tetsu suddenly brought up.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, holding back my temper, reminding myself that this man is Satoshi's father.

"The way you played with the boys," Tetsu answered, "you're just too kind to be a soldier. I think you'd be better off raising a family of your own instead of wasting your time with a little army like us."

"A family of my own," I thought about Tetsu's words for a few moments.

I never thought about it until that moment, a family of my own. It's true I wanted to marry Kenshin, but the thought of having our own family never came into mind. The very image of our family came into mind within a few moments. I could imagine a little child nestled in my arms, a little girl, red hair, lavender eyes, the very image of her parents. We were sitting near a fireplace, I was slowly swaying my arms from side to side, my daughter sleeping in the groove of my arms, and the afternoon breeze leading the lullaby from my lips to my baby's ear. A few seconds later, my husband comes through the door.

"Koishii, I'm home, that I am," my darling husband called, placing his hat on the wall.

"Welcome home, Koishii," I would greet him after with a peck on the lips.

"How's our little Aya?" my husband would ask after, his finger tracing the smile of our baby's face after.

Aya, that will be the name of my daughter. I made it final the second I had this dream for the first time, and I still stick by that name even now. Himura Aya, that would be her name.

"Mina, are you ready?" the sound of my brother and future husband returned me to reality.

"For what?" I asked, slowly drifting away from my fantasy life.

"Don't you remember what Katsura-dono said?" Kenshin informed me of the meeting I had not payed attention to. "The second Shinsengumi are on the move tonight. Don't you remember, I volunteered for both of us to keep watch of the inn while the others, along with a squad of the Satsuma Clan, head to the bridge to the eastern edge of the city to annihilate them."

"Since when did you volunteer that we stay?" I asked, my anger from earlier starting to erupt.

"Well you didn't say anything when I volunteered," Kenshin answered, "you just responded with silence when I asked so I presumed that you gave me the okay, that I did."

"That's fine," I sighed, "it was my fault anyway for not paying attention," I grumbled after, kicking myself for my ignorance.

"Did you say something, Mina?" Kenshin asked after he heard my mumbling.

"No, nothing," I answered, resting my hands behind my head, "nothing at all."

The others left shortly after, the inn was virtually empty, aside from the servants, the injured, and of course, Satoshi and Noboyuki. Kenshin and I didn't have to do anything, we just sat in room talking more about old times.

"...and then when he had his back was turned, I struck with all my might on top of his head," Kenshin's face was virtually purple as he told his tale. "He had the biggest headache for days, I think he even took some of those funny mushrooms to relieve the pain."

"I can see why he drank so much sake now," I laughed, falling over from the pain from my stomach. "Say, Kenshin," I began to calm down, my tone becoming more serious, "have you ever thought about having a family?"

"A family," Kenshin began to calm down, "why do you ask?"

"Tetsu told me today that I was more suited to raising one than wasting my time in a small army like this one," my finger circling a small part of the table as I spoke, "I've been thinking about it all day and I was thinking that maybe he had a point in what he said."

"So do you want to quit now?" Kenshin asked after, his head planted on his arms as they rest on the table.

"...I don't know," I answered with the shake of my head. "To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what I want to do," I admitted, repeating the words that voice last night told me, "I just joined up because I... I...," my voice suddenly began to crack.

"This is your chance," my heart told me, "tell him. Tell him how you feel!"

"I...didn't know what to do," I suddenly blurted.

"Dammit, now you've blown it!" my heart kicked me inside.

"So you joined because there was nothing else to do, is it?" Kenshin asked.

"Well, no actually...," I answered, "the real reason was because I..."

Fate must've been against me for what happened next. A thud came from downstairs from the inn's entrance. Something was wrong, I could feel it, and I'm sure Kenshin could too, he had that serious look on his face. Eyebrows arched, lips lined up to the floor, and his eyelids closed enough that his eyes only looked like slits on his face. Immediately he took up his sword as I did the same, both of us nearly tripping over each step of the stairs as we ran. We quickly found the source of the thud, it was a body in swimming in it's own scarlet pool of life. The body was so sliced up, bean-shaped devices lay inside craters of black and red, small yet somewhat thick red strings were laced outside the body, latching into the wrists of the corpse, ruby ooze leaked from the strings, seeping into the newly washed tatami the body lay on. A crater was broken into the back of the skull, a somewhat large and wrinkled gray oval sat in the middle with a translucent fluid resting beneath the brain. It was a horrid sight, it reminded me of what my body did to those Bakufu the other night.

"What happened to him?" I asked as Kenshin's hand swept the clothes of the body.

"The Shinsengumi must've set up a trap," Kenshin quickly concluded. "Mina, you stay here while I..."

"What do you know, the corpse actually made it here?" a pack of Mibu Wolves suddenly appeared in the distance.

"Shinsengumi!" I immediately recognized those sky blue coats.

Wasting little time, my feet sprang me forward, my fingers quickly wrapping around the hilt of my katana. The blade clicked the second it met the air, and then a grinding noise followed once it had been engraved in flesh. The blade twisted itself in a three-hundred-sixty degree spiral, twisting flesh and bone into one for a few mere seconds before they were pried out of their body. The grimace on the Wolf's was left frozen in place as he fell to the floor, his fall foreshadowing the attack of the rest of his pack. Quickly, I threw the slab of muscle to the side, putting my hand back on my blade's hilt in time to block one of the Wolves' sword. His fangs were bared as his yellow eyes sneered into mine, but they were quickly shut once a geyser of scarlet suddenly erupted from his neck, his skull falling to the stone ground after, the red liquid filling a small river in the cracks. Looking to the side, I found my brother with the very same river of blood flowing down the edge of his sword, not an expression on his face, even when two of the Wolves began charging toward him. My attention was quickly averted within a second, for the steel fangs of the rest of the pack were suddenly biting down on me. Striding to my right, I was able to ease my way past their bite, spinning my body behind them and my blade swinging toward the base of their neck.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Kan-Sen-Kogarashi!" the steel slab slit through the dogs with ease, another fountain of red spraying violently a second later.

The howl of more Wolves suddenly echoed in my ears after. Ten more, all of them coming from different directions. I was ready to strike, but suddenly there was a twitch in my hand. I released it from my blade and suddenly it quickly grasped the hilt once more, without my input. It was happening again, just like the night before. Again, I was the audience of a symphony of carnage. I witnessed it as it blindly charged forward, the blade slitting the earth's skin as it did so. With the enemy's swords all raised at once, my body slid my katana upward, the various forms of gravel now impaling the pack, their life now stained upon crimson walls. I turned toward my brother and his adversaries next, screaming as it ran toward the opposition.

"Retreat," I ordered it, only that it didn't escape my lips.

"Kyah!" it cried as soon as my sword cut into the nearest Wolf.

The blade of katana was aligned with the inlet of two ribs after the impact, but my left hand quickly pushed it away in the opposite direction, cracking and slicing the Wolves' insides with each inch the blade moved within him. The body was quickly pushed away from the blade once it had found it's newest target, engraving itself between the eyes of another dog. I wanted to pull out, but again my body didn't respond to my command, it did quite the opposite. It pushed forward, the blade slowly splitting the body in half, another gush of blood sprayed onto me, engulfing my vision in the color of ruby. Everywhere it turned I saw red; everything was a bright crimson. My head turned to the side after the shower, finding one more dog, his arms fixed over his head and the glow of the moon reflecting off the sharpened edge. My body slid the sword upward, striking the wrists and the hands fell out of their sockets, the curved steel slowly changing direction and engraving itself at the top of his skull. He couldn't move it even if he tried and my body decided to do it a little favor. Dropping my sword, it jumped behind him, grabbing the crimson cords that stuck out from the holes in his arms and pulled them inward in opposite directions, my right hand pulling the left cords and my left pulling the right, creating a 'V' formation as the pathways that brought him life was suddenly ending it. A loud snap followed shortly, and another Wolf emerged from the shadows. Again, without my input, it kicked my katana off the ground, sticking itself at the base of the Wolf's arm. Letting go of the veins, it grabbed the hilt of the sword with both hands, pushing upward creating a grinding scream as more scarlet oozed down his body. The arm fell to the floor, and immediately the Wolf turned with his tail between his legs.

"You forgot this!" my body said, taking the dismembered arm and tossing it back at the cowardly Wolf.

The fingers grabbed the Wolf's head within a second, a rather loud cry followed after his arm had returned. My body took advantage of this, dashing at the man, my steel blade piercing the wind before it pierced his abdomen. With the pull of my sword, my body was able to pull out a number of souvenirs along with the blade. A rather large bean shaped device followed the slab, then attached to some string-like device on the organ came out a familiar rope-like object, a rather long one at that. My body wasted little time to torture the man, dropping my blade and quickly grabbing the rope with my bare hands, squeezing it with all my might. I wanted it to stop, but again, there was no response. It wouldn't let me shut my eyes as it pulled more of the man's insides to the outside, scarlet rain spraying onto me from the crater that was slowly growing with each inch pulled. It finally stopped when there was nothing left but bone inside. My entire body was bathed in his blood and my body stood there for a few seconds admiring it's latest work. The next thing it did was unspeakable. It took my right hand, engulfed in blood, and it forced my tongue to dab some of the scarlet ooze from my fingers.

"Delicious," it said, and in the inside, I just wanted to throw up.

That was when I regained control, the adrenaline slowly releasing my body, my eyes began to widen from the latest deeds. I turned to my side, Kenshin standing there paralyzed with his eyes unblinking as they widened to practically fill his whole face. My eyes suddenly began to fill with liquid, slowly leaking to wash away a line of the red substance on my face. The worst still to come, turning to my side I saw them, the children, Satoshi and Noboyuki. Their jaws were being pulled toward the Earth as the very same liquid emitting from my eyes fell from their's. They were huddled against each other, practically pulling each other's skin off as they stared at me. Before a word can escape my lips, they ran back inside, wailing as their voices slowly died as they ran deeper inside. My legs suddenly weakened, sending me to the ground, my hands barely supporting this new guilt resting on my back.

"What... have I done?" I asked myself after.

"Mina...," the palm of my brother suddenly held my shoulder.

"What did I do, Kenshin, what did I do?!" I asked him, the tears falling like waterfalls.

"You did what was needed," Kenshin answered.

"What was needed?" I sniffled. "How can that carnage be what was needed?!" I cried, my eyes practically melting away in their sockets.

"Despite the gruesome way you killed those men, it was needed in order to create the new era, that it was," Kenshin answered. "Mina, you were going to kill those individuals anyway, that you were, although it was still wrong for you to end their lives in such horrific ways."

"I didn't mean to," I told Kenshin, "I didn't want to kill in that way, I just..."

"As barbaric as this sounds, they were going to die anyway," Kenshin said.

"The kids, they saw me, didn't they," their faces were still etched in my mind, "they saw me kill those men. Those eyes they had, they were..."

"Mina, what are we fighting for?" Kenshin asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" I couldn't understand the question.

"What are the Ishin Shishi fighting for?" Kenshin repeated.

"For a new era in Japan," I answered.

"That's what you were merely doing," Kenshin explained, "the boys, Satoshi and Noboyuki, they witnessed the violence that has plagued this current era just now. Mina, you are fighting for an era in which those boys can live in an era without the need of such carnage, are you not?"

"I...guess I am, but...," the tears slowly began to dry, "the kids must think I'm some sort of monster."

"Despite whether you are a monster or not, I'm sure that when they're all grown up and living in the new era, they'll thank you for being the monster that you are now, thanking you for creating a world free of war and violence," Kenshin said as he gave me his usual smile.

"You're right, Kenshin," I nodded, "violence such as this is necessary to create a new era, it's the reason why I must stay with you and fight."

"Kenshin-kun, Mina-kun!" Katsura's voice echoed from the east of the inn.

We had learned later that the whole thing was merely a trap set up by the Shinsengumi. The first and third squad were waiting as well, but luckily our forces were able to escape with little casualties. Yet, one of the escapees was fatally injured, and he tried to escape back to the inn, that was the corpse Kenshin and I had found in the inn's entrance. Unfortunately, part of the Shinsengumi was able to follow the man, luckily those men were the ones Kenshin and I fought off. There were no survivors of the Shinsengumi that followed the man.

Those words that Kenshin gave me that night, they stayed with me for the rest of my life, for they are one of the reasons for why I fight.

  
  


Chapter 13 Liner Notes

  
  


The age system during the Revolution- Back then, there was no such thing as a teenager, citizens were only divided up as either children of adults. No matter what gender you were, you were always considered an adult whenever you reached the age of fifteen, and so, if you were a male, you would most likely be forced to move out of your parents' home as soon as you were fifteen and would have to find a place of your own to live in society.

  
  


What does 'nee-chan' and 'Koishii' mean?- 'Nee-chan' is somewhat hard to translate into English because it's an honorific term used to address one older than yourself but is not middle-aged, so the closest translation could be 'Big Brother/Big Sister'. 'Koishii' is what you call the person you love, it's like a nickname. The translation of the word is 'love', but it can only be used as a noun. When it's used, it's basically calling the addressee 'my love'.

  
  


(Next time: "It has been a season since she has come into my world, a season which only rewarded her with suffering. I can see the tears in her eyes, sealed with a mask of happiness, preventing the river from following. She wants to leave, yet for some reason, she wants to stay. I know it's selfish, but I want her to stay too, I want my sister by my side, together with me, to keep me company from a demon that continues to plague me, the demon known to many as Battousai..." -Himura Kenshin)

  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was it, hope I didn't gross you readers out. Anyway, as I said before, I'll just post the edited version of this story at fanfiction.net from now on, even if they bring back NC-17 material. Oh, and about those attempted rape scenes coming up, don't worry, I won't have Mina get brutally injured or anything like that, besides, only one of those scenes has her as the would-be victim, the other has...well, you'll just have to read on to find out who. Anyway, in the next chapter we have the return of a character who you just love to hate, Azumi Shion. So why don't you leave me a review, not a flame though, and if the violence is getting extreme, just tell me so I can tone it down for later chapters, okay? Later people.


	15. End of the Season

Author's Note: Yeah, sorry for the delay in updating, I had school and all. Well, the story takes a much darker turn from here, expect to see darker themes with each update. Shion returns in this chapter, and her dark past is revealed as well. So why don't you read on and enjoy the story.

  
  


Chapter 14: End of the Season

  
  


Time just flew by the two months that followed, the year of my story is now Western year 1866 in the month of April. After the incident I spoke of in the last segment, it was quite obvious that my services were needed in the front lines. Kenshin and I would be active in nearly every mission now. No longer would our forces have to retreat from traps and ambushes, it's because I was there. No, it wasn't me, it was her. The force that controlled me whenever I got into the heat of battle, she appeared nearly every time I fought. Within time I just gave up on trying to take back control of my body during battle, after all, the enemy had to die anyway. I eventually gave her the name my fellow troops gave me, Hitokiri Kensai. Although I hate to admit it, but she was a necessity in the Revolution, without her and my brother, the Ishin Shishi would've lost. I never grew accustomed to her violent methods though, those gruesome images still lay in my mind. 

Despite being on duty nearly twenty-four-seven, I managed to adopt a somewhat cheerful attitude. Actually, it was just a mask I wore to shield everyone from the pain I suffered inside, one of three barriers I used. I felt horrible when I killed, though I never hesitated to do so. The guilt always sprang into my head after Kensai or I fought, I suppose hesitation helps take some of the guilt away. I often cried, though no one would see or hear me when I did so, I always did it when I was alone, mostly when I was in the bathhouse since there were no other female soldiers.

My second barrier was really two things, alcohol and smoking. I always had a glass of sake if I was feeling blue, it would clear my head for at least an hour. I never over-drank, luckily, so I never had a hangover or threw up in the dining hall. Sake wasn't always available so I carried Shinji's old tobacco pipe with me. The breeze of the black crop just soothed my nerves, it didn't clear my head, but for some reason, it made me feel better. At most I would take ten puffs during a day, I knew smoking was bad for the lungs after watching several fellow soldiers who smoked a lot die on the battlefield from sudden suffocation.

My third barrier was also the most effective, my brother, Kenshin. Kenshin and I were very close at this time, we knew practically everything about each other. His very presence just seemed to brighten up my day, no matter how bad I felt. He was easy to talk to, most of the time he would be the one to start up a conversation. We often spoke of our time with our original families and times we had together, but I was never able to share my true feelings for him or the pain of my guilt. How I long to tell him how I feel, how I miss losing myself in those purple-bluish eyes, his fiery red hair burning from my desire, those broad shoulders, chiseled chest, oh how I miss him. Actually, now that I think about, my brother wasn't really built, he was as scrawny as I am, but still, I love him so.

I guess the end of winter was a special day, though it began like any other. Breakfast followed by an hour of training and then Kenshin and I were on standby until we were given an assignment. I decided to take an extra thirty minutes of training that day, I was tired of always getting my ass kicked by Kenshin so I practiced with some of the other men. They weren't as skilled as my brother and I was actually able to take on ten guys at once and not get a bruise on me. I was walking up the stairs, my eyes fixed on the ground as the men who died by my sword began to flash through my mind. My eyes were covered by the curtain of my scarlet bangs, no one could tell how I was feeling, at least I thought so. For a second, I took a glance up, and lo and behold, there was my brother ahead of me, sitting in his room, looking out the window.

"Kenshin!" I quickly dashed toward the room, a smile erasing the frown on my face.

"Oh, hello, Mina," Kenshin greeted me with his usual smile.

"What are you looking at?" I asked, taking a seat by his side.

"The snow," Kenshin answered, pointing at the melting mounds of white, "it's beautiful, isn't it?"

"I guess it is," I observed every morsel seeping into the air.

I don't know what came over me next, but I just felt like I had to go out there and wallow in the icy hills. My feet quickly pushed against the floor, I was basically hovering above the ground with each step I made.

"Wait, where are you going, Mina?" were the words I heard as I sprang out the door.

Quickly, I picked a spot and lay there for a few seconds. It wasn't comfortable at first, until my arms and legs begin moving up and down making a more comfortable groove for me. Why was I doing this, it's because I was imagining burying my own grave. I just felt really depressed that day, I felt like killing myself. But I couldn't, thinking about how Kenshin might feel over the death of his little sister, so for now, this had to do. The thought of my death, it brought a smile to my face, I really wanted to die but I didn't have the courage to take my own life.

"You really enjoy the snow, don't you, Mina?" Kenshin soon arrived, that smile of his still stretched across his face.

"Hai," I answered, fixing the best fake smile I could come up with, "it's so soft and cold."

In truth, it wasn't soft, it was as hard as rock. I thought to myself that I didn't deserve a descent grave, that the one who would bury me can just throw my naked body into a ditch.

"Despite these hard times you're always so cheerful," Kenshin said unaware of my depression.

'Cheerful, if you only knew the truth, Brother...,' were the words going through my mind at the time.

"What's wrong with that?" I sat back up, that artificial grin still on my face as I spoke.

"It's nothing," Kenshin answered. "What's this?" Kenshin suddenly pulled a red object from the ground I had paved..

"A camellia," I took the flower, placing it in my hair.

'How perfect,' I thought to myself, 'a fitting oracle to my death.'

"You think the flower gives it a nice effect?" I asked for my brother's opinion.

"Hai," Kenshin answered with a simple nod, "the powder snow gives it a nice effect, that it does."

"You talk funny, Kenshin," I began to laugh.

"I know, I know," Kenshin nodded again.

I wasn't really laughing; I was crying. My thoughts continued to linger on my sins. I hid behind that mask as Kenshin sat there with me, my eyes sealed the entire time, shutting my emotions away from the world.

"Kenshin-kun, Mina-kun, come inside," Katsura interrupted a few seconds later.

By now I knew the drill, it was a meeting for our next attack. I had to pay attention, but in the state I was in that day, I didn't know if I would be able to. Again, my head sunk to the floor, Kenshin didn't seem to notice. By the time we reached the dining hall, it immediately sprang back up by a laugh I knew all to well.

"Ah ha ha ha!" I looked ahead to find the hitokiri of the Satsuma Clan, Azumi Shion.

"Shion-dono, we meet again I see," Kenshin greeted the young woman, extending his hand toward her.

"Nice to see you again, Battousai," Shion quickly took my brother's hand, giving it a small shake. "Oh, and who do we have here," Shion turned toward me, with her mask of a smile on her face, "it's nice to see you again, Himura-san, or should I say, Kensai."

"Call me whatever you wish," I said, my bangs still covering my eyes.

"Is something the matter?" the smile quickly melted away. "Well if it helps, you have grown a little bit," Shion said, obviously referring to my chest.

"Mina, what's the matter?" Kenshin finally realized my depression.

"It's nothing," I answered as I took a seat.

"I'm glad you're all here now," Saigo suddenly entered the room, taking a seat next to Katsura.

My eyes twitched to the edges of my eyes, looking for the other attendants of the meeting. There were no others, just Kenshin, Shion, and I, all three of us sitting before the leaders of the Ishin Shishi.

'What are these two going to ask of us,' I wondered, 'could we possibly be doing some kind of three-way assassination or possibly a suicide mission?'

"Allow us to begin," Katsura began his explanation, "the three of you are our top three soldiers in terms of skill. Because of our constant battles in the recent weeks, most of our men are exhausted and thus, I'm afraid we must ask you to complete a suicide mission."

"I understand," Kenshin nodded.

"Shion-kun," Saigo addressed his hitokiri after, "you and the Himuras are to severe the Shinsengumi's first squad, Okita Soushi is said to be too ill to patrol with them tonight. If you can take out at least half of their forces, our troops can have a resting period for at most a month. It is important to achieve this resting period, many of our troops are injured and need rest before returning back to the battlefield. Shion-kun, please do this favor for us."

"I shall," Shion bowed after hearing her orders.

"Mina-kun, I know that you aren't used to such extreme circumstances but I want you to do your best, is that clear?" Katsura ordered.

"...Hai," I said, my eyes still hanging to the floor.

"It is most important that you three complete this assignment," Saigo continued, "the squad's numbers must be diminished! The future of this war rests on your shoulders."

"Hai!" Kenshin and Shion bowed after as I sat in place unmoving.

"Mina-kun, is something the matter?" Katsura asked after Kenshin and Shion bowed.

"...it's nothing sir," I answered, "please excuse me," I rose from my seat, dragging my entire body as I left the room.

"Mina, wait up!" Kenshin soon chased after me.

"What do you want, Kenshin?" I asked, my voice somewhat cracked and slurred.

"Mina, something is wrong with you," I turned my head away as soon as Kenshin said this, "what is it?"

"Nothing is wrong," I answered, my face still turned away.

"Face me when you say that," Kenshin suddenly planted himself in my path.

"I said there's nothing wrong!" I glared into my brother's eyes for a second before I brushed passed him.

"Mina!" I heard the dash of his steps as he tried to follow me.

"Leave me be!" I turned back to my brother, my teeth bared and shooting another glare into his eyes.

"Gomen...," Kenshin tilted his back forward before he turned away.

I limped toward our room, slamming the shoji door shut as soon as I entered. My legs immediately gave away after I reached the center of the room. I couldn't hold it anymore, I was about to explode. My eyes just burst into tears, followed by the pathetic whine of a dog coming from my own mouth.

"You're pathetic," Kensai's voice taunted from the back of my head.

"Leave me alone," I sobbed.

"You should have quit while you were ahead, and now you're stuck in this whole mess," Kensai laughed, "you should just give up and go back to the country, little girl."

"I won't go back!" I yelled, banging my hand on the tatami. "I can't go back," I drew the shorter sword on my belt for the first time.

The glow of the sun reflected my teary eyes as I stared into it for a few seconds. I grabbed the hilt with both hands, turning the blade toward my body. I wanted to end it all, I wanted to end it in that moment, forgetting about my brother and the future world I wanted to create. It levitated in place for a few seconds, my eyes fixed on the blade's point. I could see my reflection, I could see myself, crying like a little girl, no, I was still a little girl, I did not belong here. Tired of waiting for the inevitable, I pushed the blade forward with all my might, shutting my eyes so no one, not even myself, could witness my death. The blade was only a breath away when it suddenly stopped. I pushed it once again, but it only jerked back, why had it done this? The darkness that came with my closed eyes slowly vanished, the image of someone standing before me taking it's place. Her right hand was clutching the hilt of my wakezashi, her left balled in a fist as it lay against her side. I looked to her face, it was scrunched together with a sneer, the mask of her smile was removed.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Shion screamed, taking the sword out of my hand and striking my face after.

I fell back to the floor, my cheek now throbbing and bright red. My left hand tried to soothe the pain but to no avail, it only made more tears fall with a touch. With a sigh, Shion sat next to me, placing her hand on the one resting on my cheek, that sneer now washed away with a concerned expression.

"Are you okay?" Shion asked with a serious tone in her voice. "You can't die now," Shion sighed again, turning her attention to the ceiling, "what would your brother do if you were to die? Would he cry, would he simply go on with his life if nothing happened, aren't you worried about what might happen to him?"

I simply nodded to answer the question, my head being dragged to the center of the earth after my head rose to it's peak.

"You can't take it, can you?" Shion asked. "You can't take away the guilt you have for all those you killed?"

"How did you know?" I asked, recollecting my emotions with a sniff.

"As a hitokiri you are tasked to write your role in history with crimson ink," Shion said, her head beginning to sink to the same level as mine, "and that ink... comes from your victims. This is the role Fate has given me, the role as the Grim Reaper to those I come across in battle. The pages of my destiny are written in blood, the blood of those I killed. One would think this hasn't effected me, but in truth, it has. I was a samurai's daughter before I joined the Satsuma Clan," Shion began, "I lived in a rather furnished house with my mother, my father, and my little brother, Kintaro, in Edo. My parents had tasked my brother to uphold the family's warrior spirit, I was tasked to just be a simple housewife by the time I would get married. I was supposed to be married two years ago when I was fourteen. I had a wonderful fiancé, his name was Keisuke."

"Keisuke," I immediately recognized the name, "that was the name you spoke of when I saw you crying the night before I left the Satsuma Camp."

"So you were there," Shion asked, "you saw me cry?"

"Hai," I nodded, "just as you saw me cry just now."

"Arigatou," Shion suddenly thanked me, "it's nice to know someone knows of my pain."

"Can you tell me about Keisuke?" I asked, interested in her tale.

"Keisuke was...a wonderful person," Shion continued, "he was always smiling, willing to help others out, even if it was out of his way. He was great with my ten year old little brother, the two of them got along like real brothers. Keisuke was a year older than me, he always had a crush on me, just as I had one on him. We knew each other since childhood, our families lived next to each other. He proposed to me on my fourteenth birthday and of course, I said yes at the first opportunity. It was also that same year that this war began, Father was called to assist the Bakufu in here in Kyoto. My family and I would never see him again after he left, he was killed in battle by a group of bandits. Our family name was ruined after learning this, the other families had turned their backs on us. Keisuke was the only one to stay by my side, although his parents disapproved of it. His family couldn't bare to see their son hang around the daughter of a disgraced samurai family, they even turned their backs on his proposal to me. And then it happened during the month of December, it was the middle of the night, Keisuke had decided to sleep over, telling his family he was going to a friend's house instead. It was a wonderful evening, Keisuke had, well, I don't want to speak of it, it's somewhat embarrassing, but as we slept in the comfort of my futon, there was a loud crash coming from the kitchen. I decided to check things out and there was Keisuke's family along with some members of other samurai families, each them bearing arms and torches. I took my naginata resting on the nearby wall, ready to defend my home and I was engaged in combat. I wasn't very skilled then, I was barely even able to defend myself, I always found myself falling to the floor after my naginata caught an attack. Some time during the fight, I lost sight of Keisuke's father, and he went for a stab from behind. Keisuke suddenly appeared and pushed me out of the way, taking the blade into himself. Mother and Kintaro finally realized what was going on, now that the smell of smoke was quite abundant in the house. They ordered me to take Keisuke and run, to escape while we could. I should've stayed, but instead, I ran, dragging Keisuke with me. We were far from the city before I knew it, Keisuke wasn't doing so well, I knew a doctor wouldn't be able to save him. I swore that I would get revenge, that I'd kill the ones who did this to Keisuke and I, I swore I wouldn't rest until justice had been served, but it was then that Keisuke told me his last words. 'Be strong, Shion, no matter what happens, always remain as you are now.' And with that, he died in my arms, his body now just an empty shell resting on my lap. I contemplated suicide many times, just as you have, but I wouldn't because the thought of someday reuniting with him through reincarnation always went through my mind before each attempt. Mina, do you see now why I fight, why I wear the mask of happiness in front of others? I live so that I may avenge Keisuke and my family, so that I can destroy a government that started this whole 'honor' system. I live so I can honor Keisuke's last words, to continue living as the woman I was before all of this. I live...so that my family's death won't be in vain!" I noticed a crack in her voice as she said this, her eyes covered by the hair over her bandana.

Her hands were balled into fists, as if she were wringing the neck of one of those samurai who burned her house. Her teeth were bared, scraping against each other from side to side, creaking as they did so. Clear rivers poured down her cheeks, slowly falling to the tatami below in single drops. I don't think I had ever seen her like this, I pitied her, my hate for her had vanished in that instant, replaced with admiration for her courage and will to go on. I had met someone who was more depressed than I, yet stronger than myself.

"Shion," I spoke after the moment of silence, "do you...know what happened to the rest of your family?"

"No," Shion shook her head, "for all I know, they were killed as I escaped with Keisuke. I hadn't set foot in Edo since."

"I see," I turned back to the floor.

"You are the only one I have ever told this story to," Shion continued, "will you keep this story away from the ears of others?"

"Hai," I answered, "I will."

"Himura-san," Shion placed her hand on my cheek afterward, "you have a reason to live after this war, you still have someone to go back to, I have no one. I'm sure your brother thinks the same, that's probably why he continues to live, so he can live the rest of his life with you, to live in a war free of corruption and bloodshed."

The words had touched me, but then again, many have during my time here. I already had one reason to fight, to make a safe world for the children, but another was now added to my list, so I can live in that world with Kenshin. Another reason came into mind after, my mother. It was a season before this incident that she died, killed in order to save my life. Those Mibu Wolves took my mother away from me and those Bakufu bullied my father when he was still alive. I have to live because they died for me. Those are my three reasons for which I live, the reasons I still stand on this earth.

"Arigatou, Shion," I nodded, "to give me such kind words, you're not as bad of a person that I thought you were, that you aren't."

"Continue to live, Himura-san," Shion told me as I rose from my seat, "but for me, once this war is over, my reason to live is over."

I thought I had to say some words of comfort for her, but none came into mind. All I could say was...

"Shion, live in the era that we are to create," I said, my back turned to her as I spoke, "live so you can continue to fulfill Keisuke's last wish and for your family, they died so you can live after all."

"I don't think I can do that, Himura-san," Shion said, "my will to live diminishes day after day, I will die before this new era is born, I know it."

But Shion did live, she saw the new world, but through different eyes.

As soon as I left the room, I found my brother waiting for me, his back pressed against the far wall and his arms crossed above his stomach. He had that serious look, he always wore it whenever he was concerned for someone or angry about something.

"Are you willing to talk now?" Kenshin looked up, a smile not stretching across his face as it usually would.

"There's no need," I told Kenshin, walking passed him as I spoke.

"I see," Kenshin turned back toward the floor.

"But when this is all over," I turned back for a second, "we'll talk."

The rest of the day went by as it usually did. Well..., not really. I hadn't spoke to Kenshin after that, I don't know why. He stood in that corner the entire time, shutting his eyes and bringing himself into his own little world. He must've still been concerned about me, although I wasn't feeling bad anymore. Every time I passed down that hall during the day, he was there, his head tilted toward the ground and his arms crossed. Our Red String must've been unwinding, pulling us apart, at least for that moment. Shion hadn't come out of my room either, I think she was still crying so I didn't want to intrude. I spent the rest of the day training with the other soldiers, none of them on par with mine, or my brother's skills. It took an eternity for the evening to arrive, I was ready for this. I was waiting for Kenshin and Shion in the inn's entrance, I was so bored while waiting I was contemplating going off on my own. Kenshin arrived first, he still had that serious look, he didn't even look at me when he arrived. Something was definitely on his mind, but I was too afraid to ask. Shion came about a minute later, wearing her mask of happiness again as she arrived.

"Well, shall we go?" Shion asked upon arrival, a smile perched on her face.

"The first squad is said to be patrolling near the Kyoto Tower tonight," Kenshin said, his eyes fixated on the pagoda to the north, "we will go there and exterminate as many as we can. Stealth is the upmost importance, so try to use the shadows to your advantage."

"Let's go," Shion began to make her way toward the tower.

"Kenshin," I stopped my brother before he took a step further, "are you angry with me for not telling you what was wrong with me?"

"I'm not angry," Kenshin answered, his eyes fixated on the sky instead of me, "it's nothing really."

He ran after Shion after that, leaving me behind. I pondered for a few moments what could've been wrong with him. It most definitely could've been because I blew him off earlier or maybe it was something else going through his mind. Actually, there was something I missed a little while ago, his eyes, they weren't their usual color. Bright yellow, the same color as her's, my brother had an alter ego of his own, Hitokiri Battousai, that must've been him, but why has he appeared? I didn't want to waste time think anymore about this, so I simply ran after Kenshin and Shion.

The looming structure of Kyoto Tower blocked the moon's glow, the illumination of the stars were also neutralized by it's shadow. Nothing but black lay before our eyes, though you can hint where things were for there would be silhouettes for all things that moved. I jumped at the first silhouette I saw, my left arm hooking across the Wolf's neck and my hand slapping against his jaw and nose as I slid my katana out of it's sheath. The steel slid across the crease in his neck, a warm puddle spilled onto my left palm as I released the corpse. My palm was now glowing a bright ruby color, luckily I had a rag in my pocket and wiped it away. I looked ahead and saw two silhouettes striking two other, geysers of red emitting after. Kenshin, or should I say, Battousai, and Shion did their work. They moved along soon after as I did the same. I lined my back against the nearest corner, sliding to the west, waiting for another silhouette to appear. Even in this darkness it was hard to see the sky blue coats of Mibu, I saw nothing but black everywhere I turned. I took a peak out of the corner where I stood, there was nothing, but I did hear steel sliding out of oak, it was coming from close by. As soon as I turned the corner, there was a Wolf, his fangs bared and ready to strike.

"Shit!" I cursed as I dove away from the attack.

"Over here, I found someone!" the Wolf called for his allies.

I was soon surrounded by the rest of the pack, they had brought their torches with them, along with their blades already drawn. Their narrow eyes lay everywhere I turned, those sky blue coats were as bright as ever, each step I took always brought me closer to one Wolf so I stood in my place, my hand tightening the grip on my katana's scabbard.

"What do we have here?" one of the Wolves pushed his way through the pack. "You're an awfully pretty one," he said as his hand held up my chin, "it would be a waste to kill you now."

"Take your hand off me, dog!" I spat in the man's face.

"You bitch!" the man backed away as he wiped away the saliva. "Kill her already!"

The first victim of the night lunged forward from behind, the whistling of his blade slicing air echoed through my ear the instant he moved. I spun toward him, my blade drawing in the same direction of the spin. The steel aligned itself with one of his ribs, conjoining the Wolf and my blade. I turned back to where I originally faced, there was another Wolf, his blade coming from above, highlighting the curve of the moon. I swung the corpse attached to my blade to my opponent's, the steel crashing against his shoulder. I pushed my sword forward, plunging the blade deeper enough that it went through him and into the gut of the attacking Wolf. Quickly, I pushed both corpses back toward the crowd, each one falling in a line like a row of dominoes. I planted the tip of my blade against the earth, slowly slitting the earth's rocky skin as I brought my sword upward.

"Do-Ryu-Sen!" I screamed as the debris impaled itself against nearly half the Wolves who fell. "Ryu-Kan-Sen!" I quickly spun around to catch the next Wolf behind his neck with my blade.

I pushed the blade even further, pushing all my weight into the blade until scarlet fluid erupted from a newly formed crater at the top of his neck. The skull flew forward toward another's face, knocking him to the ground in the process. I flew in the same direction after, my blade leading the way as it found it's way to his heart. I pried the steel slab out quickly, just in time to catch the next attack coming from in front of me. Playing cheap, I grabbed the shorter sword resting on his belt as our blades were locked and plunged it into his own belly. He fell shortly after as I left the wakezashi in it's rightful place just as the rest of the pack began to close in on me. Pushing my feet against the earth with all my might, I was catapulted toward the heavens, hovering over the mighty Kyoto Tower. My levitation was quickly cut short as I was dropping back to the ground. I held my sword before me slicing the wind before it sliced through another Wolf's skull, the red liquid engulfing itself in my face in the process.

"Ryu-Tsui," I screamed before I slid my blade against the throat of the nearest enemy, "Shou-Sen!" The blade cleaved through half the man's skull, sending his visage into the air as the giant hole where it once lay spray even more liquid onto my body.

I caught the next steel slab with my with the inner curve of my blade as I recovered from my attack, but I failed to notice the one coming from behind. I felt the cold metal swipe at my back, making me stagger forward in the process. Another feel of metal rushed through my body after, now in my left arm, cutting downward, slipping out of my muscle before it reached my elbow. I found myself on the stone-paved ground now, wading in a pool of my own life.

"Not now...," I grumbled as I used my strong arm to push me back up. "Argh!" my face was pulled back to the ground thanks to one of the Wolves' feet pushing down on the back of my head.

"It'd be a waste to kill such a pretty thing," I heard as the crimson pool made it's way toward my face.

"We'll have to do it eventually," I heard another Wolf comment, "but let's have a little fun with her before she dies."

My hair was suddenly balled up into the hands of one of the Wolves', pulling my face upward but leaving my body flat against the floor. My eyes were sealed with already dried blood, I couldn't see anything, not that I wanted to, I didn't want to witness my death, especially a horrible one such as this.

'As soon as I found reasons to live, I have to die,' I thought as my consciousness began to diminish.

"Stop this right now!" I soon heard my brother's yell.

"What's this?" my face suddenly fell back to the ground, creating a stream of red from my temple.

"It's the Battousai!" I heard one of the soldiers.

"Get away from my sister!" Kenshin's yell grew stronger as I began to push myself away from the ground again.

As soon as I got back up, I began to rub my eyes to break the seal over them. As soon as I opened them, they were splashed with red again. I quickly wiped away the residue, only to have more splashed onto my body. This was my brother's doing, he was putting his god-like speed to full use, I only caught a blur going back and forth with each geyser of crimson that erupted. However, one was able to catch my brother, grabbing a ball of his hair and pulling him forward. Kenshin dropped his sword once this happened, trying to kick away like a little child as he was pulled upward and the enemy's blade being drawn to his neck in the process. I decided that I'd try and return the favor, grabbing my sword off the ground and blindly charging. Instead of finding the Wolf, I found the ground and a throbbing pain in my stomach after.

"Damn!" I coughed, a river of crimson flowing from my mouth before I spoke.

The blade slowly began to slide across Kenshin's neck and then a splash of red followed, although it didn't come from my brother. The Wolf suddenly fell into the ruby pool, his face flat against it just as my brother landed on his feet. I quickly ran toward the three after, all three of his pressing against each other's backs as the enemy began to close in again.

"There's too many of them!" I told Kenshin and Shion as I held my blade closely.

"They're all just victims," Kenshin said suddenly, dragging his sword against the ground, "Do-Ryu-Sen!" his sword swung upward, a barrage of gravel plunging into each man in the sword's direction.

The way he spoke, I knew then that this definitely wasn't my brother. I simply observed the rest of the battle unfold. I watched the next victim that fell before Battousai, the Wolf's arm being sliced off and then Battousai's blade plunging into his heart after. That wasn't the end though, he stuck the blade into the Wolf's skull, pulling out an oval-like organ and then throwing it to the floor, smashing it with his foot after, the juices spraying everywhere. The next Wolf that tried to attack was dealt a worse fate, Battousai quickly plunged his blade through the man's side, twisting it slowly as the blade began making it's way to the other end of the torso, spinning it's way there. I saw the grimace on the Wolf's face as his organs and muscles were blended together until the blade removed them all once it reached the other side. Battousai's actions were just as violent as Kensai's, I was afraid of him just as much as I was of her. I closed my eyes for the remainder of the battle, the lullaby of screams and chopping flesh filled my ears in exchange for the bloody sights. When they had finally died down, I saw Battousai standing there, his head hung in shame. No, it wasn't Battousai, it was my brother, Kenshin.

"Kenshin...?" I took a step forward, my hand slowly reaching out to him.

"I...," Kenshin muttered suddenly.

"It wasn't you," I assured him, "it was Battousai."

"Mina, how did...?" Kenshin slowly brought his head up to face me.

"Those men I murdered at the inn a few months ago," I brought up the gruesome incident once more, "they weren't killed by me, but by her, Kensai. I know what you're going through, Kenshin, there is another person inside your body, a person who isn't really you. I know this, Kenshin, I know..."

"Nani?!" Kenshin's eyes quickly averted to the sidelines.

"Shion!" I noticed she was kicking one of the remaining Wolves.

"Shion-san, stop!" the Wolf begged.

"Stop?!" Shion spat. "Did you stop when you burned down my house?! Did you stop when you killed my family?! Why should I stop?!" Shion kicked the man again.

"Shion, stop it!" I ordered.

"No," Shion glared back at me, "this is one of the men who participated in Keisuke's death, I won't let him off easy!"

"Shion, just kill him already," I ordered again not wanting to see another gruesome sight.

"I'll kill you, you bastard!" Shion grabbed a handful of the man's hair, slamming his face into the ground after. "I'll kill you, kill you, kill you, kill you!" Shion said with each bang.

The man's face was so scrunched together after, it was black, blue, and red all over. Only specks of white lay where his eyes were, his face was too swollen for them to open fully. His nose was flat against his face, and gaps that were able to fit five teeth was now apparent on his face. Shion threw the man's face into the ground once more, kicking him afterward.

"Are you done, Shion-dono," Kenshin asked, trying to pull her attention away from the Wolf, "I think he's suffered enough, that he has, please just..."

"I'm not through yet!" Shion grabbed her naginata. "I want you to feel a lot of my pain when you die! I want you to feel the pain of my Akai Chi Naginata Ryu. You should feel honored, I barely use the techniques of this martial art style. I think I know the perfect technique for you, you're about to go to hell aren't you, you son of a bitch?! Why don't you see the devils before you die? Now stand up!" Shion suddenly ordered. "I said stand up!" Shion kicked the man a few seconds later.

The man staggered to his feet, barely even able to stand, I'm sure he was just about ready to collapse.

"Akai Chi Ryu, Mamano-Arashi!" Shion yelled.

What I saw next was unbelievable. She had began circling the man at least thirty times in a second, her naginata slicing random parts of his body as she spun. The man still stood there in place until Shion stopped before his eyes, her naginata resting against her shoulder as she stood. In the next second, rivers of crimson began to flood from all over his body. It started with his legs, they sprayed a little and then they suddenly separated themselves from the torso. The arms were next, the same substance oozing from their base before the limbs fell, cords hanging from the craters as well. More fluid fell from the torso itself, random lines of red seeped through his outfit, until it just burst open, revealing sphere-like structures inside, most of them shaped more like beans than spheres. The man was somehow still alive after all this, Shion knew this. She grabbed the cords and pulled the man to a nearby step on the temple, slamming the cords back down after she was done.

"Bite the step," Shion suddenly ordered the dying man.

"Shion, this is too much!" I yelled trying to plead for the man's life.

"Bite the fucking step!" Shion yelled at the man, pointing her naginata at the back of the man's skull.

I couldn't believe my eyes when he actually obeyed. The worst was yet to come. Pulling her foot upward, Shion had it crash down on the back of the man's head, his teeth seeping into his gums and suddenly reappearing outside the man's temple, along with puddles of scarlet and pieces of some kind of gray organ hanging at the tips of the teeth. Shion stood there after, not an expression on her face, staring down coldly onto the corpse. She stood there for a few seconds, Kenshin holding on to me tightly as we observed her. He was as scared as I was, and this was Shion we were observing, not some other soul inside her body.

"Well, shall we get going?" Shion asked after a few moments, her usual smile stretched across her face as she spoke.

It was rather disturbing how Shion could just brutally kill someone and act as if nothing happened after the act was done. There was not a sign of guilt on her face as she left, not a difference in the way she walked. I just couldn't understand how she felt guilty for killing anyone who had nothing to do with her parents' death but still not feel a thing for those who did. I assumed that man was probably related to Keisuke, someone who could've been her brother or cousin-in-law, someone who could've been a part of her family if her fiancé had not died.

When we returned to the inn, Kenshin and I quickly had our wounds checked. My arm wasn't in that bad of a condition actually, the cut missed all my arteries and veins and major muscles, I was lucky. My back wasn't so bad either, it wasn't very deep. Kenshin had only sustained a few minor cuts on his back, all which could heal within a week.

"Kenshin, thank you for saving me," I said as he wrapped the wound on my arm.

"It's okay," Kenshin smiled, "you don't need to thank me. For once I'm actually glad Battousai was in control, I'm not sure if I could've saved you with all those men around."

"And I'm sorry for blowing you off earlier," I apologized for my earlier actions.

"Don't worry about it, Mina," Kenshin said as he finished wrapping my arm, "there are just some things you want to keep to yourself and I understand that."

"Arigatou," I thanked him again.

"You had me worried," Kenshin sighed after.

"Gomen," I apologized.

"When you were attacked by those Wolves," Kenshin continued, "I didn't even want to think what would happen if Battousai hadn't made it in time. You mean a lot to me, that you do," Kenshin said as he swept hair away from my face, "I just can't help but worry about you each time we go into battle. You worry me when you don't talk to me. Oh, I'm sorry, now I'm just ranting away, aren't I?" Kenshin suddenly stopped, putting on his usual laugh after.

"Don't worry, Kenshin," I assured him, "you're just looking out for me, that's all. I mean, it is your job as my older brother, isn't it?"

"You're right," Kenshin nodded.

The next thing he did surprised me. I stood there frozen as his face slowly approached mine. His lips lead the way as they pressed against my cheek for a mere second, pulling away in the same second after the impact it made on my heart. My heart was skipping beats after he kissed me, I sat there frozen as his lips stretched back into a smile.

"Good night, Mina," he said as he headed to his futon, "sleep well, Little Sister."

'Did that really happen?' I asked myself in my head, placing my hand over my cheek. 'Oh my God, it just did! Oh yeah, I'll be his wife within a year at this rate! This calls for a celebration!' I quickly made my way toward the kitchen after.

As soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs, there was Shion, sitting at the nearest table, her hands on her lap and eyes closed. She was acting in her womanly manner as usual, just sitting there as I made my way toward the kitchen, not saying a word as I passed. It was when I returned with a bottle of sake that she said something.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I killed that man so brutally and not have a shred of pity while I kill others and feel guilt?" Shion said as she sat there in her womanly manner.

"Yeah, why is that?" I asked, pouring myself a glass of sake.

"I hate killing those who aren't involved," Shion answered, "those that have nothing to do with what happened back in Edo don't deserve their fates."

"But if you plan on taking down the Shogunate, the ones responsible for the creation of samurai families, then doesn't that mean all those you've kill are involved?" I asked, taking a sip of my glass after.

"...I don't know," Shion answered, her eyes slowly opening, "excuse me then...," Shion left her seat suddenly.

Could it have been my words that made her leave? I don't know, they were just things I just kind of blurted out. I regret telling her those words today, unfortunately. I should've known that sometimes, you just have to keep your mouth shut.

  
  


Chapter 14 Liner Notes

  
  


About camellia flowers- The camellia are signs of omen in Japanese society. When you see one fall from it's branch before your eyes, it means that something will happen to you soon. When you see someone step on two camellias consecutively, it means that you're going to die soon. Yet camellias aren't always used for omens, they're given to loved ones as gifts and also used to decorate one's funeral. Basically their the roses of Japanese society.

  
  


What's the Akai Chi Naginata Ryu?- This is Shion's fighting style, like Kenshin and Mina's style is the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Shion's is the Akai Chi Naginata Ryu. The English translation of 'Akai Chi Naginata Ryu' is 'Red Earth Naginata Style'. The attack Shion used on the man was the skill called 'Mamano-Arashi' which translates to 'Devil Tempest'. Basically, the 'Mamano-Arashi' is an attack that has Shion spin around her opponent with somewhat god-like speed and has her randomly strike different areas of her target's body. There are six more techniques in the Akai Chi Naginata Ryu, all of which will be seen in later chapters.

  
  


(Next time: "In this dark world, I have finally found the light, shined down upon from a woman known as Himura Mina. Yet the shadows begin to cloud this light, and there is nothing I can do to stop this, I must trust the light to defeat the shadows..." -Azumi Shion)

  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was it? Too violent, or just right, if it's a problem, just tell me and I'll tone it down for later chapters. So why don't you leave me a review, but not a flame, it'll make my day. Anyway, I think I told you in the last chapter that I'm making a site to put up the uncut version of this fic. Well, it's up now, but no stories are posted, just summaries of this fic and other fics I'm planning on writing, as well as some of the background info on some characters in this fic. Anyway, the site is http://xenomark.neohybrid.com, I'll be posting up the uncut versions of all my stories on that site. Only specific chapters have been edited for fanfiction.net, let me tell you ahead of time that chapter 16 will be edited for posting, the uncut chapter 16 will be posted on my site. I'll tell you readers ahead of time if a chapter's been edited or not. I guess that's it then, later!


	16. Stepping Away from the Shadow

Author's Note: Whoa, two updates in one week, that's a miracle considering my usual hectic schedule. Anyway, I don't have much to talk about really but, I could use some more reviews people, I need to know if people are enjoying this fic. The lack of reviews is getting to me, I'm not able to write as much as I used to, but regardless of such, I am going to complete this fic, along with it's sequels. Yeah, you read right, sequels, three to be exact. I'll speak more of them later, anyway, in today's update, a villain from the RK series makes her appearance here, find out who it is by reading on.

  
  


Chapter 15: Stepping Away From the Shadow

  
  


Our suicide mission was a success. The forces of the Ishin Shishi were able to go through an entire month without any major fighting, a welcome pace for Kenshin and I. My arm had healed up within two weeks, it was as good as new once I removed the bandages. Kenshin and I took advantage of this time, we were able sit back and enjoy a glass of sake every day or so, spending time as if we were a real family. Shion on the other hand, she had not done a thing during the entire vacation. She had not left with the Satsuma Clan day after the mission, instead she sat in one of the corner rooms of the inn, her eyes fixated on the far wall as her knees lay flat against the tatami and her hands tucked a few inches away from her thighs. Shion always looked as if she was deep in thought, never leaving her room other than to use the bathroom or eat, and even when she ate, she still had that serious look on her face. I'll have to admit it, I was pretty worried about her. I guess I considered her a friend of some sort back then, it was only natural that I would worry, but every time I tried to talk with her, she only responded with silence, her lips sealed together and her eyes fixed in front of her, staring blindly into space. No one was able to speak with her, she just sat there in the center of her room, not saying a word, not moving a muscle.

I would speak more of Shion but it is time that I move on with my story. I had just exited Shion's room after trying to speak with her again, and as usual, I didn't get a response.

"Mina," I found my brother waiting outside the room wearing that serious expression on his face.

"What is it, Brother?" I asked.

"Head to the dining hall," Kenshin ordered, "we're having a meeting about tonight's operation."

"Understood," I nodded, making my way to the dining hall.

It had been a while since I had to sit in on one of these mission briefings, it felt rather odd to sit down at the table and not be served any food. Didn't matter though, that feeling slowly disappeared when the briefing began.

"Is everyone here now?" Katsura asked as soon as Kenshin and I found our seats. "Good, now let's begin. Our spies have gotten word that reinforcements from the Bakufu are coming from Edo, they will arrive at Osaka Bay within two days."

"This assignment doesn't seem to be too tough," Tetsu bragged, "if we have Kenshin and Mina aboard their ship then..."

'Why must people think so highly of me?' I asked myself. 'How could the others look up to me as a hero? All I am is someone who's good at killing, how can they consider me a hero because of this?'

"We can't allow that," Katsura interrupted, "there's more to this mission than the arrival of reinforcements. The entire Shinsengumi is on the move tonight, it is unsafe for us to go to Osaka with the Wolves prowling through the streets. What we will do is have a majority of our forces attack the Shinsengumi squads directly as a small platoon of Cho Shu and Satsuma troops head to Osaka while the Shinsengumi's attention is averted. We'll need some volunteers for the platoon, is there anybody who will participate in this assignment?"

No one in the room raised their hand, this mission was another suicide attack, I'm sure everyone was afraid to take it. Everyone sat there for a few moments, the entire room was quiet and unmoving. An arm finally raised, it was right next to me.

"I shall participate," Kenshin rose his arm.

"Me too," I rose mine after.

"We can't allow the both of you to go unfortunately," Katsura told us, "it is best that we have one Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu user on both sides to make up for troops we may lose."

"I understand," Kenshin lowered his arm, "then, I shall stay."

"Is there anyone else who will volunteer to be in the platoon?" Katsura called to the rest of the troops.

"I will accompany Himura-san!" a voice we haven't heard for the longest time suddenly entered everyone's ears.

"Shion?" I turned to the other side of the hall to find the hitokiri dressed for battle.

"I'll go too," Tetsu raised his hand next.

More hands began to raise, blocking my view of Shion as she stood there. The mask of happiness was again on her face, her lips stretched from ear to ear and her eyes closed because of her grin. Her mouth began to move suddenly, moving to the motion of words. Her lips read 'Arigatou, Mina'.

The meeting was over soon after, Kenshin and I had remained in the hall while the others left. I was rather surprised that he withdrew his decision, Kenshin was often the one who took the more dangerous assignments, but this time, he was allowing me to take his place.

"Brother Kenshin, why did you change your mind?" I asked as I lit the pipe Shinji had given me.

"I don't know, Mina," Kenshin answered, "maybe because I think you have to prove yourself."

"Prove myself?" I was left puzzled by his words.

"I enjoy having you by my side when I fight, that I do," Kenshin said, "but you can't always be there to help me and I can't always be there to help you, that I can't. Mina, there is a time when one must walk on their own two feet and to take their own path, it's time that you begin to tread that path."

"So you're saying you don't want me by your side anymore?" my head began to sink toward the floor.

"I'm not saying that," Kenshin assured me as he placed his hand under my chin, "what I'm saying is that when this is all over I will...," he began to trail away.

"Will what?" I asked as I took a puff of my pipe.

"Never mind," Kenshin suddenly stopped. "Let's just say that, my revolution may be beginning soon."

With that, he left the room. His revolution, I had no clue what he spoke of. Could it be the revolution in his heart, or a conflict he is yet to resolve with another person? His revolution, would later become the trigger of mine, a revolution in which..., no, it's too soon to speak of it, I shall speak of it later.

I had remained in the hall taking in a few more breaths of tobacco, thinking about my brother's revolution. I hadn't thought about it for very long, I stopped once I took in all of the black crop into my lungs. I was about to leave, but then Shion suddenly entered, her mask no longer on face, but now lay a visage I had never seen. Her cheeks were filled with pink, her eyes barely shut and her lips somewhat stretched and her entire head pointed to the floor. She didn't seem sad, she seemed a bit embarrassed about something.

"Is something the matter, Shion?" I asked as her finger slid across the palm of her other hand.

"I, um, just wanted to thank you," Shion said with her eyes still shut and her finger circling her palm.

"For what?" I asked.

"Those words you said a month ago," Shion continued her doodling, "and for being concerned for all this time."

"Don't mention it," I said, patting her shoulder as I began to make my way out of the room.

"Wait, Mina-san," Shion called after me, calling me by my first name for the first time.

"What is it?" I turned back.

"There's something that I have to tell you," Shion said, her eyes open now, but her face even pinker than before, "it's..."

"This isn't like you, Shion, that it isn't," I told her, "just what exactly is on your mind?"

"Oh never mind," Shion suddenly turned away, her hands lined against her cheeks as she spoke, "it's just good to see that your leaving your brother's shadow for once."

"His shadow?" I didn't understand.

"Yes, his shadow," Shion repeated herself, her back still turned. "You're always with him, are you not? You're always together, Battousai and Kensai, the siblings of the sword, I think it's about time you stepped away from being the wakezashi of the daisho."

"I still don't understand what you're saying," I was even more confused.

"Simply put, your brother is the stronger of you two," Shion explained, "making you the weaker one, no offense. You're his sidekick, the clean up crew, he takes the lead in battle and you simply follow, that's why you're his shadow. Now you leave his shadow for the first time you officially joined the Cho Shu Clan, treading down your own path. It's about time, don't you think so? Well, I'll see you later," Shion waved before she left.

In my brother's shadow, Shion did have a point, that she did. I was always by his side during battle, but I only did that because I didn't want anything like that Saito incident to happen again. But I was weak then, my skills have greatly improved now and I was sure that by that point, I could stand on my own, but I would find out soon enough.

Night fell more quickly than usual. This was the first time I had to lead a squad of my own, the first of many. It was cold outside, but it wasn't freezing, it was just the evening breeze. It was stronger than it usually was, I'm sure that if you let go of a fan in that wind, it would fly into the stars and be lost there for all eternity. Wherever we walked, I could feel the ground tremble, trembling from the steps of the Mibu Wolves. Katsura wasn't kidding, they were everywhere. Every corner we looked around, there was a pack or two. This assignment was one of patience, we had to wait for the rest of the Ishin Shishi to make their move first before we could move out. We hid the shadows of the inn as we waited for our time. The plan for distraction was simple, the other Ishin Shishi would attack a random squad and that would result in the other squads coming to reinforce their troops. The Ishin Shishi would then try and lose the Shinsengumi in the bamboo forest leading to the Satsuma Camp. Luckily, we have set up various traps in the forest and it's layout is pretty much like a maze, so it would be difficult for them to find their way to the camp. If they were to find the camp, they would be greeted by an entire squad of marksmen, each equipped with the latest weaponry from the West.

The distraction began sooner than anticipated. I heard the howl of one of the Wolves after the scent of ash had entered my nose. The Wolves began to move toward the fire, that was our chance.

"Let's go!" I ordered my men.

We all ran closely together, our feet pushing us a great distance with each step. The path was clear of Wolves and we were now free to leave the city. In no time we were already in the trade route, all of us already worn out and hunched to the floor. Everyone had made it somehow, but this was only the beginning unfortunately.

"I hope we don't have to do anything like that again," Shion spoke as she tried to catch her breath.

"We might," I told her, looking toward the direction of our destination, "all right everybody, there's no time to waste, we're heading to Osaka right now."

"Mina-san, give us a little break, will you?" Tetsu said as he sat on the ground.

"We can't afford to take a break," I told him as I pulled him to his feet, "it's better that we head to Osaka sooner so we can devise exactly how to sink the Bakufu reinforcements. I'm sure someone there will know exactly how many ships are coming and which dock they'll arrive on."

"You're probably right," Tetsu agreed, "we better move then."

"We'll take it easy as we move," I informed my men, "we'll simply jog the rest of the way and walk if you get tired. Let's move!" I ordered taking the lead again.

After leading my own group of men for at least five minutes, I already hated being a leader. I hated how I had to bark orders and tell everyone to move and stuff, it seemed rather repetitive. I had to do it though, I couldn't back down from my position, everyone was depending on me. Everyone still depends on me, being a leader is the hardest thing to do. I'm always the one who has to comfort everyone, to keep the spirits up, so much is expected of me. It's pretty stressful, but as I said before, I can't back down.

We arrived in Osaka sooner than expected, it must've taken about an hour or two. The city was pretty dark, just like Kyoto, but something was missing; violence. Not a clatter of steel or cry for help, it was complete silence. I thought at first something was wrong, but seeing how everyone else had remained calm, there was no need for me to draw my sword. It seemed best to check in at an inn of some sort, but I wasn't tired, and none of my men seemed to be either.

"Mina-san," Shion got my attention soon after arrived. "What's that over there?" she asked as she pointed toward the ocean.

"Stay here, I'll check it out," I ordered my men.

Using the god-like speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, I was able to run toward the docks more quickly. Arriving at the nearest dock, I was able to catch a glimpse of several large wooden structures heading in our direction, each bearing a flag with three sakura petals aligned with each other on the banner. There was no doubt about it, those ships were the Bakufu's reinforcements.

"Che, they've arrived sooner than Katsura thought," I spat as the ships began to slowly inch forward.

I took a small step back, twisting my body in the opposite direction. I took another step, quickly followed by another, then the third came more quickly. I had lost count after that step, my men growing with each step I took, eventually returning to their normal size once I had gotten close enough.

"Himura-san, what's wrong?" Tetsu asked.

"They're already here," I informed everyone, my entire body being dragged to the floor as I spoke, "the Bakufu have arrived sooner than Katsura expected!"

"So what should we do, Himura-san?" one of my men asked as I tried to catch my breath.

'Damn, now what am I supposed to do?!' I thought to myself as my teeth began to grind against each other. 'I can't just think up a strategy just like that. Well I better think of something before they arrive. There are three ships and I'm pretty sure those ships have more men than I have in this platoon. I could probably sink one of the ships with my Do-Ryu-Sen once they dock, and that should lessen their troops by one-third, but I don't think that will even the number of troops. There aren't any cannons or anything else around so that's out. And I don't want to board their ships when we're out to sea, that's too risky. Dammit, what am I supposed to do?!'

"Mina-san, they're about to dock!" Shion suddenly informed me.

'Shit!' I bit down on my teeth harder. 'I guess I got no choice now.'

"Okay everyone, here's the plan," I informed my troops, thinking up a strategy as I spoke. "We'll hide in the shadows of the buildings close by and allow them to dock. Then I'll sink one of their ships with my Do-Ryu-Sen, but that will blow our cover. After that, we'll have to fight them head on."

'Oh God, like this isn't going to work,' I mentally kicked myself after informing everyone of my strategy.

"Get into your positions!" I ordered after.

My men listened without hesitation, they must've thought that this strategy was going to work since they all seem to look up to me. I found a spot in the corner of a warehouse, along with about five of my men, one of them being Shion.

"Mina-san, do you know what you're doing?" Shion asked as I pushed part of my blade out of it's sheath.

"Not really," I admitted, "personally, I think this is suicide, I only said what first came into mind, that's all. We're probably going to die, but we might as well take out as much as we can before we die, right?"

"I suppose," Shion said as she drew her naginata, "if we are to cross the Sanzu, we should bring some friends along with us."

At that very moment, the ships had docked at the harbor. As soon as the anchor was thrown, that's when I moved. I slid the rest of my sword out of it's case as I dashed toward the large wooden structure, the steel slab slicing through the ground quickly after.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Do-Ryu-Se...what the?!" I suddenly stopped.

Something else was going on now, it seemed as if shadows were falling from the sky and onto the ships. My men and I stood there as puddles of darkness began to sweep through the ships. I had no idea what was going on, but then came the clashing of steel and symphony of screams.

"What the hell is going on?!" I heard Tetsu as he made his way out of hiding.

"Reinforcements perhaps?" Shion turned to me.

"No, if there were we would've gotten word from Katsura, that we would've" I answered.

"There's some over here!" one of the shadows spoke and soon several jumped in front of me.

"Ninjas!" I immediately recognized the dark clad warriors before us.

Soon I found three pointed projectiles hurled in my direction. Sliding my sheath from my belt, I caught each one, but in turn I almost forgot about the individuals standing before me. A short piece of metal was now swung before, causing me to stagger back. However, my katana slid upward from the ground and slit the man upward from the bottom of torso to the top of his skull. The usual fountain of crimson followed as the two halves fell in opposite directions, laying flat against the ground. I tried to run away, but more Shinobi blocked my path. I readied my sword once more, but my path had already been cleared once I took up more sword again.

"Mina-san, are you okay?" Shion asked after she kicked the bodies to the floor.

"Hai, arigatou," I answered as I swung my blade at the next ninja.

I wasted little time after my katana stabbed it's latest victim, I simply kicked away the newest corpse and swung my sword behind me to catch another victim. I turned to my side to find another blade being pulled toward me, but it was still too slow for me. Ducking from the blade, I spun behind my opponent and engraved my sword into the base of the man's neck while I dodged another's lunge. With my blade still stuck in it's newest prey, I kicked the man in front of me and spun once more so that the corpse would land on my attacker. With both bodies on the ground, I pushed my sword through the already dead ninja and into the one that fell. This provoked the others and more came in my direction from all sides. I avoided all of this by jumping into the air and onto the roof of the warehouse where I hid. Of course, with them being ninjas, they followed. They were everywhere on the roof, each tile had supported one ninja, and it didn't seem like there was any way I could jump back down either without being skewered by one of their swords. I had to lessen their numbers, and there was only one attack that could do this.

"Do-Ryu-Sen!" I pushed my the sharpened edge of my katana against the tiles.

A majority of the crowd in front of me had now fallen off the roof or face first to the floor, lessening the numbers before me. The rest had then charged at me, and there was no way I was backing out now. I charged forward and began swinging left and right continuously, not caring who it was, actually it didn't matter, I knew that all of them were my enemy. Everywhere I looked there was always a splash of scarlet from that direction and wherever I swung the sound of flesh being pierced or the screeching of metal followed. It took a while, but now it seemed as if the entire roof was now painted in red. Not a drop of blood on me, well at least not my blood, each of them were easily slain. I couldn't help but pity each one of those ninjas, even if they are supposed to be indispensable. Just as soon as I thought my work is done, another shadow dropped in front of me.

"Do you enjoy throwing your lives away?" I sighed as I placed the inner curve of my sword on my shoulder.

"You're very skilled, I'll give you that," the voice of this ninja was different from the previous ones.

"A woman?" I recognized the tone of her voice.

"That's right," she said as she pulled the scarf and cowl away from her face, "my name is Misanagi the Flying Arrow, I am the leader of the Sanada Ninjas."

There was definitely something different about her. Her uniform was different from her grunts, it was still black, but the material had only covered her torso. There was netting of some sort from her shoulders to her wrists, as well as on the 'V' area from where her shirt's collar was supposed to be. Her legs were wrapped in bandages, probably acting as socks of some sort. Eyes and hair as brown as dirt, her hair was tied from the top right and top left to make the impression of a butterfly. It wasn't her appearance that was different from the rest, it was her ki. She was definitely a seasoned warrior, the aroma of blood was rather strong, anyone who had not experienced combat before may have passed out. She seemed like she would be my toughest opponent thus far.

"Leader of the Sanada Ninjas, huh?" I asked Misanagi. "May I ask why you are attacking us and the Bakufu?"

"Tell me who you are first," Misanagi ordered, remaining calm as she spoke.

"Himura Mina of the Ishin Shishi," I introduced myself, "I come from the Cho Shu Clan. I'm the leader of those Ishin Shishi that your men are fighting. Now tell me why you're doing this."

"It's rather simple, Himura," a simper stretched across the ninja's face, "that ship was carrying the latest weaponry from Spain and Germany, my men and I want it for ourselves."

"For what reason," I asked, "aren't ninjas only supposed to work for others for money?"

"Hai, but there are other things my clan wants other than money," Misanagi continued, "we want Japan."

"Japan, you say?" I asked again.

"Ever since the Shogunate rose to power, the ninjas were kicked out of the warrior class," Misanagi explained, "we were forced to join those in the lower class, living in the darkness, learning to fight with whatever crude tools we could find. The only way we could survive was by doing the deeds for those who had money. If we had the latest weaponry from the Western world, then perhaps we could turn the tides and take this nation for ourselves, a nation ruled by the Ninja. You should understand, you too are fighting against the Shogunate."

"But for different reasons!" I spat. "Your reasons are selfish ones, you just want a world where you're in charge! You don't care about the suffering about the people, all you want is to rule the people, not caring what they're going through!"

"Well, I'm sure they'll understand, after all, we were forced to mingle with them in the first place," Misanagi responded.

"Misanagi the Flying Arrow," I tightened the wrap around my sword, "as a member of the Ishin Shishi and representative of the people of Japan, I won't allow you to create such a world!"

"Really," the ninja reached for the sword on her back, "well I guess this means we can't be friends."

Within seconds her sword was already drawn, the tip pointed toward the ground in an angle, the hilt pointed toward the moon and her knuckles in my direction. The sword was inches away from her left hand which lay open, as if they were grasping a ball of some sort. Right leg arched back and left foot forward, this was a typical ninja stance. The blade of her sword was different from my own, it was a few inches shorter, it was about three-fourths the size of my katana, and there was no curve on her blade either, it was as straight as a bamboo reed. The guard was bigger as well, it was big enough to support one's foot.

"What are you waiting for," Misanagi's voice broke my analysis, "are you waiting for me?"

"Fast!" I quickly found my blade locked with her's.

Wind was suddenly flowing in my direction within the next second. I turned toward it's direction for a moment only to find four fingers parallel to the ground now crossing against my face. My feet were pushed a few feet back as a result and as soon as I pulled my face back to it's original position, I then found something suddenly pressing against my abdomen, making me hunch over as a result. The blade suddenly came down after, but I jerked away at the last moment, the blade catching some of my hair instead. I had enough of backing away, so I decided it was time to charge forward. My blade slid upward from the tile riding up an invisible ramp only to stop once more before her sword. Again, her fist stretched toward my face, but I was able to knock it back with the back of mine. Not wanting to stay locked in place forever, my foot rose forward, pushing against her chest, making her stagger a bit back, this was my chance.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," I pushed off the tile underneath my feet, launching myself into the heavens, "Ryu-Tsui-Sen!" I brought my blade forward as I plummeted back to the roof.

Her blade had caught mine again, the steel slab supporting my weight as I tried to push forward. She bit down on her own teeth with each inch my blade came closer to her face, desperately trying to push me back into the air. The earth began to pull me closer, the blade was just about to touch her skin, but then the grimace on her face suddenly turned into a grin.

'What the hell?!' I thought and then I noticed it.

There was only one hand one the hilt of her blade, the other was reaching behind her back. I began to pull back, only to bring something with me. I felt something cold yet smooth in my side suddenly, I turned toward it to find Misanagi's hand there, clutching a rather large piece of bark with a small piece of metal that was somehow attached to my side. My face began to scrunch as my feet suddenly loosened, my knees catching my fall. I felt a small flood of warm fluid rushing down my side after, and it began to climb it's way from my throat.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that," Misanagi grinned as the knife was extracted from my torso.

With that, the rush of blood escaped my mouth and onto the already crimson tile. I shut my eyes as I hunched forward, trying to regain what I had lost through my lungs.

'I can't seem to read her,' I thought as I tried to regain my breath, 'and her ki seems to nullify my god-like speed, that it does.'

"It's not over yet!" Misanagi said after and suddenly that feeling of metal was once again inside me.

"Argh!" I felt another gush of blood filling up my throat.

The metal was near the center of my body, a few inches above my stomach. I could feel each pump in the vein above the blade. I felt the rivers inside slowly being drained by the steel, the feeling was slowly dying as more and more ruby red liquid oozed from the craters in my body. The blade ventured further, it's point pushing through my back, creating a third geyser of scarlet. Even with my teeth pushing against it each other, the gaps between them allowed the rush of blood to escape in small rivers.

'This is the end,' I thought, 'it's all over now.'

Chapter 15 Liner Notes

  
  


Where is Osaka Bay?- Osaka is a port town a few miles west of Kyoto. Though it was close to Kyoto, it wasn't as badly affected by the Revolution, but there was a major battle fought there around the end of winter in the year 1865.

  
  


What's the three sakura petals on the flag's banner?- The three sakura petals is a design for the Tokugawa Shogunate, it's placed on the backs of it's officials clothing and on flags.

  
  


What's a 'shinobi'?- The word 'shinobi' is the old term for 'ninja'. It literally translates to 'shadow warrior'.

  
  


Who are the Sanada Ninjas?- For those who never watched the Arcs after the Kyoto Arc, the Sanada Ninjas are a group of ninjas who are trying to take over Japan. Their leader is a woman named Misanagi the Flying Arrow (who I might add is probably the coolest character in the filler arcs). In the Rurouni Kenshin series, she and her Sanada Ninjas made an agreement with a German organization called the Black Knights that if the Sanada Ninjas lead them to an elixir that supposed to grant eternal life, they would give them Japan once they took over the world. But in the Rurouni Kenshin series, Misanagi didn't have a sword, just a knife, but I decided to give her a sword anyway in this fic, she'd be better off with it. Also, she only had one short fight in the series, you couldn't tell if she was a decent fighter or not, but I decided to make her one of the top fighters Mina has fought so far because Misanagi also happens to be my favorite character introduced in the filler arcs. Personally, I think she's also pretty hot (for an anime girl anyway).

  
  


(Next time: "The shadow tries to lock me deeper inside the darkness, my only hope is the creature that continues to plague me. Yet this is a battle even she can't win, is it possible for me to escape the shadows with my life...?" -Himura Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was it? Any good, please give me a review if you're reading this, not a flame though. Anyway, the next chapter contains NC-17 content and as a result, I'm posting the edited version of the next chapter on fanfiction.net, the uncut chapter 16 will be posted on Psychotik RK (the site I originally posted up all my works and can be found at http://clik.to/psychotikkenshin) and the uncut chapter can also be found at my website, Four Steps of Heaven (which is at http://xenomark.neohybrid.com.) So if you're going to leave me a review, please leave it here at fanfiction.net, even if it's for the uncut chapters. Anyway, leave me review please, but not a flame.


	17. To Fight a Shadow EDITED

Author's Note: I changed my mind about posting the uncut chapter on my site and my friend's site, I'll just post it on the next page, and personally, I don't think it's strong enough to get an NC-17 rating. Besides, I think there's only one chapter that deserves that rating, and it's the lemon chapter near the end. Hopefully Fanfiction.net will allow NC-17 material again when I decide to post it. Anyway, I'll tell you which part was edited in the liner notes. Well then let's just get on with the show.  
  


Chapter 16: To Fight a Shadow  
  


"What's this?!" my consciousness suddenly shot back up with Misanagi's voice.

I look toward my stomach to find my sword pushing against the guard of her's. Suddenly, my arm sprang forward, pushing her blade back and out of my system, the odd thing was, it wasn't me doing it, I was only watching it. It was Kensai, coming to my aid, using my body once more to save my life. Misanagi's blade slowly inched back with each second as Kensai pushed forward, and suddenly the entire thing had pried itself from my body without Kensai's or my input. Misanagi withdrew the blade willingly, and then she went for a vertical swing downward, trying to take advantage of the time it took for me to recover. The pain from the blade extraction shot through my system, I just felt like I wanted to lie down and let my strength pour out of my body. Kensai was able to ignore the pain though, she simply jumped back and caught the blade with the outer curve of my katana, hurting me even more with the sudden movement. Again, we were in a contest of strength, and it didn't seem like either of us were winning. The blade rocked back and forth, a victor couldn't be decided at this point. Pushing with all our strength, Misanagi and I fell a few feet back, but readied our blades within the next second.

"I'm amazed you can still fight with this much strength, Himura," Misanagi said as she pointed her blade back toward the ground.

"You're not so bad yourself," Kensai spoke without my input, "you're not as weak as your grunts."

The pain from those stab wounds from earlier was starting to subside, but I still didn't regain control of my body. I witnessed Kensai's next move, she brought my blade in front of me, pointing the tip directly at Misanagi's heart. She began to run, her feet pushing against the tile even greater with each step, it eventually became strong enough to propel her, allowing my body to glide with the wind. She curled my body into a ball after, the sword still in front, spiraling me in my opponent's direction.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Kan-Sen-Arashi!" Kensai screamed as we spiraled.

Spinning in the air, my blade was just about to slash at her heart, but for some reason, the steel only tore a piece of fabric, my body was now being hurled toward the next building's wall, it looked like we were going to crash. However, luck was on our side, my feet were the first to meet with the wall, and with that, Kensai pushed against it, propelling us back to the original battlefield. Again, Misanagi dodged the rolling attack, my body crashing against the tiles as we landed. The pain was again sent to me, Kensai was unaffected by our rough landing.

"Is that all you're going to do?" Misanagi sighed as Kensai pushed me back to my feet.

"No," Kensai suddenly dashed forward, my katana slicing the tile as we grew closer. "Do-Ryu-Sen!" Kensai swung upward, the debris flying at Misanagi's direction.

She stood there unflinching, the debris was flying in her direction aiming for vital parts of her body, yet she was still calm. The first piece of broken tile was hurling towards her face, but it suddenly fell, broken in two, Misanagi's blade standing where the tile was supposed to strike. She remained in place again, the rest of the debris continuing to fly toward her. She slashed right and left, up and down, anywhere where the broken material was supposed to hit. Before I knew it, dust had taken up the space where the debris once was, the blade of Misanagi resting where the last one should have hit. She wasted little time after, charging toward me with all her strength, her sword parallel to the ground as it flew by her side. Kensai struck first when she was within range, slicing right then left in different angles, each one slicing nothing but air. Misanagi attacked after, starting with an uppercut with her sword, again missing my body thanks to Kensai's quick thinking. Kensai retaliated for me with an angular coming from the lower left, again missing, followed by a chop coming from the upper right. Misanagi was able to evade this one easily, jumping away from the attack, arching her body in the direction of her jump as she did so. Her hands hit the roof first, pushing her body upward again, vaulting her body a few more feet back, landing beside one of her fallen comrades. Kensai charged once more, this time having my katana slice the wind as it slowly swung from my right. The blade was about to make it's mark but instead, it found itself crashing against another steel slab. Kensai looked to what had caught my sword, and to our surprise, it was another sword, probably the one her dead comrade used. 

Wasting little time, Misanagi struck again, using the sword on her right to strike with a swing. Kensai predicted this, bringing my sheath up to catch it. What followed as a result was multiple swings coming from all directions, her two blades seemed to have multiplied as she swung the two. With each step that Kensai used to back away, she always found herself having to block at least two attacks in one instant. After going through this for about five seconds, Kensai finally backed away with a Ryu-Tsui-Sen jump, landing on the edge of the roof.

"You're beginning to bore me," Misanagi yawned.

"Hmph," Kensai grunted, pulling the katana's scabbard out of my belt.

The curved metal skid against the case's oak side as it slipped inside the wooden case. The sword clicked once it was in place, my left hand wounded against the wrapping of the sheath while my right was inches away from the hilt.

"A Battoujutsu stance," Misanagi immediately recognized it, "can you really pull off an attack when your opponent has two swords?"

Kensai ignored her taunts, arching my right leg forward and left leg back. My fingers began to twitch, slowly making their way to my katana's hilt. My feet began to slide against the remaining tile, inching ever so slowly toward my target as she stood there, anticipating Kensai's next move. The slides became steps, breaking into a run at the next tile. Following the curve of my katana, the blade swung outward at the last moment, Misanagi catching it with one of her own, this was perfect I thought. Kensai followed up with another swing, this one coming from her left hand, using the sheath as if it were a sword. But Misanagi saw this, engraving her blade into the oak, locking both of us in place again. Kensai and Misanagi jumped back again, the two of them charging at each other as soon as their feet touched the roof. Kensai slipped my sword back into it's sheath, going for another Battoujutsu. 

Misanagi struck first this time, both of her blades coming from both sides. Kensai drew at the last moment, deflecting the two swords. She went for a swing with the sheath again, but it missed catching only the wind. Misanagi showed off her acrobat skills again as she dodged it, her knuckles meeting the roof first, pushing her arms forward after to launch her back into the air. This time she didn't jump back after the flip, instead diving toward me with her two blades meeting in angle, creating the impression of an "X" in the process. Kensai re-sheathed my sword as quickly as possible, unsheathing it before the steel could chop my neck. Again, Misanagi was able to escape the sheath swing, using her acrobatic skill again to escape. After, something strange had happened, my body, it was no longer being controlled.

"No, not now," I said as the weight of my sword returned to my arms. "Why are you leaving me now, Kensai?" I asked myself.

I got a response all right, but it didn't come from Kensai, it was from Misanagi, lunging forward with her left sword. I pushed myself a bit back to avoid the stab, but Misanagi followed with a chop coming from the right. Shutting my eyes, I blindly swung my katana upward, catching the short blade. I opened again to find the other sword flying toward my face. With a flick of my wrist, my sword caught her's, flicking my wrist again to catch the next stab coming from the right. The lunge was merely a distraction from the real, yet weak attack, a kick to the chest which caused me to stumble, my back sliding against the roof's beam.

"Kensai, give me the strength," I spoke as I began to push myself off the floor, "why leave me when I need you the most?"

"Talking to yourself won't save you," I turned my attention back to Misanagi, "return to your feet, now!" I found one of her swords twirling in my direction.

I cast the sword aside with the swat of my hand, the edge piercing the base of my fingers as I pushed it. The substance that oozed after began to flood the inlets between my fingers, dripping to the floor as I used the same hand to push me back up.

"Kensai, help me," I called for her again.

"You truly are a strange one," Misanagi sighed, the blunt edge of her sword taping against her shoulder, "but I think it's time I put you out of your misery!"

She was charging at me once more, her arm extended as her sword pierced the wind, and her left arm arching toward her side, as if it were reaching for something. The knife, I realized, the sword lunge was merely a distraction. If I dodge to the right or left, she can slit my side with the piece of steel, but if I jumped back, she can merely throw the knife in my direction. The only way to prevent this was to attack before she did, but she was faster than myself, that she was. I only had one attack that could have a chance against her, a Battoujutsu, but she was able to easily block or escape each one. There was one Battoujutsu attack that I had not used though, it was my last resort.

"It's the same old tactic with you, isn't it?" Misanagi asked as I slid my katana back into it's case. "Isn't it obvious that I'm your superior in speed, there's no way you can win!"

"Is that so?" I said as the blade clicked in place.

My bloodied fingers wrapped around the yellow wrapping on the scabbard, the sword's point levitating just past my knee. My right hand rest against the air around the hilt, the fingers curled as if they were already grasping the blade. My right leg arch forward, the rest of my body following it's path, stretching my left leg straight in the process. Misanagi on the other hand, flipped her sword around, the blade again tipped toward the ground, the hilt toward the sky. Her left hand opened, the palm hovering before the sword's hilt, fingers open, ready to grasp a hold of the sword at any moment. Her left leg bent forward, her right bent back, a stern look on her face, I was still unable to read her actions. We stood there for a few moments, the winds blowing to the east, our hair flowing with the breeze, our eyes fixed on each other, we knew this match was going to end with this move.

The winds suddenly died, the barrier that held us was now gone. Our feet pushed us forward, steel riding in our hands and sweat rushing down our faces, we charged. When our eyes met, that's when we both struck. Misanagi swung upward, her left hand wrapping around the blade's hilt as she swung. At the same moment, I wrapped my fingers around the hilt of my katana, and then swung forward. Just as I had hoped, my attack had found it's mark, the outer curve engraved into her ribs. She stood there in front of me, her eyes as wide as her open mouth as it began to pull toward the earth, her fingers extended forward, her sword clattering to the floor as a result. I stood there, left arm extended forward, right bent back. My attack had worked.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Battoujutsu," I said, taking back my sword, the Sanada Ninja leader dropping to the floor after, "Sou-Ryu-Sen-Ikazuchi."

She had not expected it, a Battoujutsu using striking with the sheath first and would follow with a sword attack, not that I needed the sword attack now. I stared at the shinobi for a few moments, staring at the unconscious woman as she lay there. I had defeated her by myself. Me, not Kensai, but me.

"Why Kensai," I asked again as I tried to regain the breath I had lost during that fight, "why did you abandon me?"

What caught me by surprise after was that she answered.

"There are some battles even I can't win," her voice echoed in my head, "battles where only you can emerge victorious."

'Battles only I can emerge victorious,' I thought to myself, 'but isn't Kensai more powerful than I?'

"Do you really think I am?" she asked after. "All I am is someone who's good at one thing, killing, but you on the other hand, you possess even more power than myself."

"More power?" I asked.

"One I can never possess," she answered, my hand suddenly beginning to twitch.

"What are you doing?!" I suddenly found the rest of my body losing control.

"That one you have defeated," Kensai spoke, "she's a beautiful one, isn't she?"

My body began walking toward the knocked out ninja, my right hand taking the lead. It grabbed her by the collar, my eyes stared into her face for a few seconds. My tongue suddenly began to slide against my lips, my left hand reaching for the other end of her collar. It occurred to me why Kensai had taken over now, she wanted to...

"Stop it, Kensai!" I screamed, only that the words never escaped my lips. "Just what do you think you're doing?!"

"This body is mine and your's," Kensai replied, "let me enjoy it for a bit."

"You weakened my consciousness by complimenting me!" I concluded.

"You found me out," Kensai replied, "but I'm a bit busy now so..."

"Kensai, you're disgusting," I screamed, "now stop it already!"

"Stop what?" she asked as my hands began to pull the fabric outward.

"We've done enough, leave her be!" I ordered.

"I'm not going to let this opportunity pass," she said as she tore the outfit away from Misanagi's body.

"That's enough!" I yelled again, Kensai ignoring my plead. "Kensai!" I screamed again, my face inching toward the unconscious woman's torso. "Kensai!"

The skin over Misanagi's eyes suddenly sprang up, those rusty brown pupils taking all the white in her eyes. Her foot suddenly shot toward my stomach, making me stumble back, my back hitting the roof first. My head sprung forward, to find the ninja rolling against her back, springing back to her feet with her hands, those same hands covering her once concealed skin after.

"You're disgraceful!" she spat, all her henchmen jumping to her side after. "Himura Mina, you shall pay for this treacherous act, I shall see to it!"

Smoke suddenly swarmed below the feet of the shadow warriors, climbing up their feet and the rest of their figures, eventually engulfing each within the dark cloud. The smog began to fill my lungs, blocking the passage of my throat. Shutting my eyes from the gray cloud, I coughed the substance out of my lungs, coughing until the smog had subsided. Turning to where the ninjas once were, there was nothing, just pieces of tile remained on the roof.

"Mina-san!" Shion's voice interrupted my observation.

I turned to the streets below to find my men waiting, some injured, others laying on the ground, but most still standing. I pushed my feet against the roof of the warehouse once more, launching me upward and then back down to the streets.

"Mina-san, are you okay?" Shion asked.

"I'm fine, Shion, that I am," I answered, putting the best smile on my face as possible.

"What about your wounds?" Tetsu reminded me of the two stabs I had received earlier.

I turned back to the injuries, the red streams had been dried out, the craters patched. I ran my finger down the mark above my chest, my entire body suddenly scrunched, it still hurt.

"They're okay," I answered, "still kind of stings though. Anyway, can anyone report our losses?" I asked all my men.

"Five dead, sixteen wounded," one soldier reported.

"I guess we did pretty well then," I sighed, wiping away the perspiration from my brow.

"The ninjas couldn't get a hold of anything on the ships luckily," the soldier continued, "maybe we could take the..."

"Sink the ships," I ordered my men.

"Why Himura-san?" one of the other soldiers asked.

"We can't allow anyone to get a hold of what's on there," I answered, "whether it's Cho Shu, Satsuma, the Bakufu, there's no exceptions! Sink the ships!"

For a few seconds, my men just stood there in place, probably questioning my decision. But just like dominoes, they all fell before my order as soon as one did. Shion was the first to fall, taking up her spear and heading toward the nearest ship. Tetsu fell next, and the numbers just multiplied after that.

"Aren't you going to help them?" Kensai asked me as I observed my men setting fire to the large boats.

"Keep your mouth shut, you disgusting bitch!" I tried to ignore her.

"And just for the record," Kensai continued, "I didn't lie to you about battles I couldn't win, but battles in which you could."

Kensai shut her mouth after that. I didn't understand what she meant by, 'all I am is someone who's good at one thing, killing, but you on the other hand, you possess even more power than myself.' It just didn't make sense. 'How am I more powerful than Kensai?' I asked myself. I didn't want to dwell on it too much so I simply brushed the words aside with the brush of my sword against the wind.

We sunk the three structures, it's technology to be forever lost in the sea, or so I thought. That technology, however, would make it to Japan sooner or later, I just didn't know it. We returned to Kyoto shortly, the sun had risen as soon as we returned. Katsura had greeted us once we had returned, all my men had went to their rooms to rest after the grueling assignment, I was stuck giving the report. I informed Katsura of the unexpected turn of events, about the ships arriving early and of the Sanada Ninjas. Katsura didn't think of the Sanada Ninjas as a threat, he simply said that they'll probably just remain in the shadows after this incident. After giving my report, I just wanted to lay back and rest. I was about to climb up the stairs to my room when Shion had stopped me.

"Mina-san," Shion greeted me at the stairs.

"What is it, Shion?" I asked as I began my way up the stairs.

"About what I was going to tell you yesterday," she stated.

"What about it?" I asked as I stopped before the door to my room.

"It's just that...," her finger began trailing her palm again, "I...I love you!" she suddenly blurted.

"Nani?!" my heart suddenly jumped.

'What the fuck?!' I cursed in my head. 'Just what I needed! First there was stupid Kensai and her attempted lesbian rape a few hours ago and now Shion is suddenly attracted to me?! Don't I have all the luck? Why can't men ever find me attractive, I mean, find me attractive and not try and have their way with me?!'

"Look, Shion, I...," I tried to tell I was uninterested but she suddenly stopped me.

My mouth was suddenly engulfed with her's, I was locked in place. No matter how hard I tried to push away, I just wasn't strong enough to do so. I tried pushing her back, but again, no avail. I don't even want to think of how long we stood there, actually she just stood there, I always tried to pull myself away. Wind suddenly slid passed my ear, I knew it wasn't going to be good. My eyes veered to their edges to find my brother standing right there, the door slid wide open.

"ORO?!" Kenshin jumped upon seeing this lip lock. "Gomen, Mina," Kenshin quickly slid the door closed again, one hand sliding the door, the other pinching his nose, preventing any more ruby rivers from flooding out.

Shion broke the seal a few seconds after Kenshin had suddenly left, my mouth had been sucked dry thanks to Shion's pulling as our mouths were locked together. God, I just wanted to puke after that!

"I'll see you later, Mina-san," Shion smiled, her hand sliding against my arm as she returned downstairs.

"My life is so screwed up!" I groaned after Shion had left. "I'm sure Kensai would've enjoyed that, the sick bitch," I spat away the residue on my lips.

At that very moment, a thought had stretched across my mind. It had been the first time I had thought about it. The thought was, 'If Kensai and I were in the same body and share the same thoughts and memories, doesn't that make us one person?' If that's so, then was that me who slaughtered all those men. Was it I that tried to rape Misanagi? Am I really attracted to men and (ugh!) women? I didn't want to think about it, I still don't want to think about it. No, I do not wish to talk about it either! Quit insisting already, just stop it! Just...leave me alone! No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lash out like that, just give me a few moments to cool down...

Chapter 16 Liner Notes  
  


A little note on Kensai's sexual preference- In some cases of Multiple Personality Disorder, the other persona has a different sexual preference than the person's normal persona, in Mina's case, her other persona, Kensai, is attracted to women instead of men.  
  


(Next time: "For once in my life, I, the hunter, had become the hunted. I had narrowly escaped death, escaped the talons of the Kensai. They say that devils know their own kind, and I know when they come out to play..." -Misanagi the Flying Arrow)  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was it? Just to let you know ahead of time, Misanagi will play as one of the major villains in this fic, and who can blame her. Heck, she'll even play a large role in the 'Twin Dragon Arc' remake. Anyway, the edited part of this fic is Kensai's attempted rape on Misanagi. As you can recall from what you just read, Misanagi woke up before Kensai could touch her, in the uncut version, Kensai actually lays a finger on her and, well..., it's nothing graphic, Kensai doesn't do anything to Misanagi...down there. If you want to read the uncut version, go to Psychotikrk which can be found at http://clik.to/psychotikkenshin, or you can just check it out in the next page, I don't think it's considered NC-17 rated material, more like a strong R. Well, leave me a review, but not a flame. I guess that's it then, later!


	18. To Fight a Shadow UNCUT

Author's Note: This is the uncut version of Chapter 16, the only difference between this and the edited version is one scene near the end of the chapter. Personally, I don't think that part deserves an NC-17 rating, heck, I've seen stuff similar to this in PG-13 rated fics. Anyway, let's just get on with the story, shall we?  
  


Chapter 16: To Fight a Shadow  
  


"What's this?!" my consciousness suddenly shot back up with Misanagi's voice.

I look toward my stomach to find my sword pushing against the guard of her's. Suddenly, my arm sprang forward, pushing her blade back and out of my system, the odd thing was, it wasn't me doing it, I was only watching it. It was Kensai, coming to my aid, using my body once more to save my life. Misanagi's blade slowly inched back with each second as Kensai pushed forward, and suddenly the entire thing had pried itself from my body without Kensai's or my input. Misanagi withdrew the blade willingly, and then she went for a vertical swing downward, trying to take advantage of the time it took for me to recover. The pain from the blade extraction shot through my system, I just felt like I wanted to lie down and let my strength pour out of my body. Kensai was able to ignore the pain though, she simply jumped back and caught the blade with the outer curve of my katana, hurting me even more with the sudden movement. Again, we were in a contest of strength, and it didn't seem like either of us were winning. The blade rocked back and forth, a victor couldn't be decided at this point. Pushing with all our strength, Misanagi and I fell a few feet back, but readied our blades within the next second.

"I'm amazed you can still fight with this much strength, Himura," Misanagi said as she pointed her blade back toward the ground.

"You're not so bad yourself," Kensai spoke without my input, "you're not as weak as your grunts."

The pain from those stab wounds from earlier was starting to subside, but I still didn't regain control of my body. I witnessed Kensai's next move, she brought my blade in front of me, pointing the tip directly at Misanagi's heart. She began to run, her feet pushing against the tile even greater with each step, it eventually became strong enough to propel her, allowing my body to glide with the wind. She curled my body into a ball after, the sword still in front, spiraling me in my opponent's direction.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Kan-Sen-Arashi!" Kensai screamed as we spiraled.

Spinning in the air, my blade was just about to slash at her heart, but for some reason, the steel only tore a piece of fabric, my body was now being hurled toward the next building's wall, it looked like we were going to crash. However, luck was on our side, my feet were the first to meet with the wall, and with that, Kensai pushed against it, propelling us back to the original battlefield. Again, Misanagi dodged the rolling attack, my body crashing against the tiles as we landed. The pain was again sent to me, Kensai was unaffected by our rough landing.

"Is that all you're going to do?" Misanagi sighed as Kensai pushed me back to my feet.

"No," Kensai suddenly dashed forward, my katana slicing the tile as we grew closer. "Do-Ryu-Sen!" Kensai swung upward, the debris flying at Misanagi's direction.

She stood there unflinching, the debris was flying in her direction aiming for vital parts of her body, yet she was still calm. The first piece of broken tile was hurling towards her face, but it suddenly fell, broken in two, Misanagi's blade standing where the tile was supposed to strike. She remained in place again, the rest of the debris continuing to fly toward her. She slashed right and left, up and down, anywhere where the broken material was supposed to hit. Before I knew it, dust had taken up the space where the debris once was, the blade of Misanagi resting where the last one should have hit. She wasted little time after, charging toward me with all her strength, her sword parallel to the ground as it flew by her side. Kensai struck first when she was within range, slicing right then left in different angles, each one slicing nothing but air. Misanagi attacked after, starting with an uppercut with her sword, again missing my body thanks to Kensai's quick thinking. Kensai retaliated for me with an angular coming from the lower left, again missing, followed by a chop coming from the upper right. Misanagi was able to evade this one easily, jumping away from the attack, arching her body in the direction of her jump as she did so. Her hands hit the roof first, pushing her body upward again, vaulting her body a few more feet back, landing beside one of her fallen comrades. Kensai charged once more, this time having my katana slice the wind as it slowly swung from my right. The blade was about to make it's mark but instead, it found itself crashing against another steel slab. Kensai looked to what had caught my sword, and to our surprise, it was another sword, probably the one her dead comrade used. 

Wasting little time, Misanagi struck again, using the sword on her right to strike with a swing. Kensai predicted this, bringing my sheath up to catch it. What followed as a result was multiple swings coming from all directions, her two blades seemed to have multiplied as she swung the two. With each step that Kensai used to back away, she always found herself having to block at least two attacks in one instant. After going through this for about five seconds, Kensai finally backed away with a Ryu-Tsui-Sen jump, landing on the edge of the roof.

"You're beginning to bore me," Misanagi yawned.

"Hmph," Kensai grunted, pulling the katana's scabbard out of my belt.

The curved metal skid against the case's oak side as it slipped inside the wooden case. The sword clicked once it was in place, my left hand wounded against the wrapping of the sheath while my right was inches away from the hilt.

"A Battoujutsu stance," Misanagi immediately recognized it, "can you really pull off an attack when your opponent has two swords?"

Kensai ignored her taunts, arching my right leg forward and left leg back. My fingers began to twitch, slowly making their way to my katana's hilt. My feet began to slide against the remaining tile, inching ever so slowly toward my target as she stood there, anticipating Kensai's next move. The slides became steps, breaking into a run at the next tile. Following the curve of my katana, the blade swung outward at the last moment, Misanagi catching it with one of her own, this was perfect I thought. Kensai followed up with another swing, this one coming from her left hand, using the sheath as if it were a sword. But Misanagi saw this, engraving her blade into the oak, locking both of us in place again. Kensai and Misanagi jumped back again, the two of them charging at each other as soon as their feet touched the roof. Kensai slipped my sword back into it's sheath, going for another Battoujutsu. 

Misanagi struck first this time, both of her blades coming from both sides. Kensai drew at the last moment, deflecting the two swords. She went for a swing with the sheath again, but it missed catching only the wind. Misanagi showed off her acrobat skills again as she dodged it, her knuckles meeting the roof first, pushing her arms forward after to launch her back into the air. This time she didn't jump back after the flip, instead diving toward me with her two blades meeting in angle, creating the impression of an "X" in the process. Kensai re-sheathed my sword as quickly as possible, unsheathing it before the steel could chop my neck. Again, Misanagi was able to escape the sheath swing, using her acrobatic skill again to escape. After, something strange had happened, my body, it was no longer being controlled.

"No, not now," I said as the weight of my sword returned to my arms. "Why are you leaving me now, Kensai?" I asked myself.

I got a response all right, but it didn't come from Kensai, it was from Misanagi, lunging forward with her left sword. I pushed myself a bit back to avoid the stab, but Misanagi followed with a chop coming from the right. Shutting my eyes, I blindly swung my katana upward, catching the short blade. I opened again to find the other sword flying toward my face. With a flick of my wrist, my sword caught her's, flicking my wrist again to catch the next stab coming from the right. The lunge was merely a distraction from the real, yet weak attack, a kick to the chest which caused me to stumble, my back sliding against the roof's beam.

"Kensai, give me the strength," I spoke as I began to push myself off the floor, "why leave me when I need you the most?"

"Talking to yourself won't save you," I turned my attention back to Misanagi, "return to your feet, now!" I found one of her swords twirling in my direction.

I cast the sword aside with the swat of my hand, the edge piercing the base of my fingers as I pushed it. The substance that oozed after began to flood the inlets between my fingers, dripping to the floor as I used the same hand to push me back up.

"Kensai, help me," I called for her again.

"You truly are a strange one," Misanagi sighed, the blunt edge of her sword taping against her shoulder, "but I think it's time I put you out of your misery!"

She was charging at me once more, her arm extended as her sword pierced the wind, and her left arm arching toward her side, as if it were reaching for something. The knife, I realized, the sword lunge was merely a distraction. If I dodge to the right or left, she can slit my side with the piece of steel, but if I jumped back, she can merely throw the knife in my direction. The only way to prevent this was to attack before she did, but she was faster than myself, that she was. I only had one attack that could have a chance against her, a Battoujutsu, but she was able to easily block or escape each one. There was one Battoujutsu attack that I had not used though, it was my last resort.

"It's the same old tactic with you, isn't it?" Misanagi asked as I slid my katana back into it's case. "Isn't it obvious that I'm your superior in speed, there's no way you can win!"

"Is that so?" I said as the blade clicked in place.

My bloodied fingers wrapped around the yellow wrapping on the scabbard, the sword's point levitating just past my knee. My right hand rest against the air around the hilt, the fingers curled as if they were already grasping the blade. My right leg arch forward, the rest of my body following it's path, stretching my left leg straight in the process. Misanagi on the other hand, flipped her sword around, the blade again tipped toward the ground, the hilt toward the sky. Her left hand opened, the palm hovering before the sword's hilt, fingers open, ready to grasp a hold of the sword at any moment. Her left leg bent forward, her right bent back, a stern look on her face, I was still unable to read her actions. We stood there for a few moments, the winds blowing to the east, our hair flowing with the breeze, our eyes fixed on each other, we knew this match was going to end with this move.

The winds suddenly died, the barrier that held us was now gone. Our feet pushed us forward, steel riding in our hands and sweat rushing down our faces, we charged. When our eyes met, that's when we both struck. Misanagi swung upward, her left hand wrapping around the blade's hilt as she swung. At the same moment, I wrapped my fingers around the hilt of my katana, and then swung forward. Just as I had hoped, my attack had found it's mark, the outer curve engraved into her ribs. She stood there in front of me, her eyes as wide as her open mouth as it began to pull toward the earth, her fingers extended forward, her sword clattering to the floor as a result. I stood there, left arm extended forward, right bent back. My attack had worked.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Battoujutsu," I said, taking back my sword, the Sanada Ninja leader dropping to the floor after, "Sou-Ryu-Sen-Ikazuchi."

She had not expected it, a Battoujutsu using striking with the sheath first and would follow with a sword attack, not that I needed the sword attack now. I stared at the shinobi for a few moments, staring at the unconscious woman as she lay there. I had defeated her by myself. Me, not Kensai, but me.

"Why Kensai," I asked again as I tried to regain the breath I had lost during that fight, "why did you abandon me?"

What caught me by surprise after was that she answered.

"There are some battles even I can't win," her voice echoed in my head, "battles where only you can emerge victorious."

'Battles only I can emerge victorious,' I thought to myself, 'but isn't Kensai more powerful than I?'

"Do you really think I am?" she asked after. "All I am is someone who's good at one thing, killing, but you on the other hand, you possess even more power than myself."

"More power?" I asked.

"One I can never possess," she answered, my hand suddenly beginning to twitch.

"What are you doing?!" I suddenly found the rest of my body losing control.

"That one you have defeated," Kensai spoke, "she's a beautiful one, isn't she?"

My body began walking toward the knocked out ninja, my right hand taking the lead. It grabbed her by the collar, my eyes stared into her face for a few seconds. My tongue suddenly began to slide against my lips, my left hand reaching for the other end of her collar. It occurred to me why Kensai had taken over now, she wanted to...

"Stop it, Kensai!" I screamed, only that the words never escaped my lips. "Just what do you think you're doing?!"

"This body is mine and your's," Kensai replied, "let me enjoy it for a bit."

"You weakened my consciousness by complimenting me!" I concluded.

"You found me out," Kensai replied, "but I'm a bit busy now so..."

"Kensai, you're disgusting," I screamed, "now stop it already!"

"Stop what?" she asked as my hands began to pull the fabric outward.

"We've done enough, leave her be!" I ordered.

"I'm not going to let this opportunity pass," she said as she tore the outfit away from Misanagi's body.

"That's enough!" I yelled again, Kensai ignoring my plead.

Against my own will, Kensai took hold of the unconscious woman's chin, placing my thumb on the edge of her lips. My tongue began sliding against her cheek, slipping in the spaces between her eye and nose. I just wanted to throw up as this happened, but I just wanted to die as Kensai continued her dirty deeds. My tongue was had now slipped between the spaces of her lips, the slippery device sliding against her own as Kensai forced my hands to inch toward the ninja's body.

"Kensai, that's enough!" I tried yelling again.

"Not yet," Kensai said as she pulled my mouth away along with a translucent string that slowly broke moments later, "let me have this moment," my tongue trailed downward.

It slithered down the crease of her neck, painting her fair skin with a translucent fluid, my mouth occasionally plucking at random spots, suckling the contents back into her mouth. Finally, my mouth had finally left her neck, only to now pluck against the skin on her collar.

"Stop it!" I ordered her once more.

"You're enjoying this too, aren't you?" Kensai asked, her hands now following the clear rivers flooding down Misanagi's neck.

"Oh God, this is just disgusting!" I thought, only to have something even more horrendous now cupped in my hands. "What are you doing?!" I yelled as Kensai forced my palms against the woman's breasts.

"They're so firm," Kensai said as my fingers began to pull at the chocolate-brown nubs, "so soft...," I face began to lean toward the right half of Misanagi's body.

"EWWWWW!" I just wanted to scream as I found Kensai forcing my tongue onto the nipple.

It began wrapping every part of the peak in the same translucent substance as her neck, my tongue must have explored each and every corner at least three times before it finally let go, pulling back into my mouth a second later, only to engulf the entire tip inside after.

"She'd make a good mother," I heard Kensai's thoughts as she began pulling the mound from it's tip, "so sweet..."

"Dammit Kensai, that's enough!" I yelled for what seemed like the millionth time, but again there was no reaction. "Hey wait a second," I noticed my right hand was beginning to creep down Misanagi's abdomen, "what are you going to do now?!"

"What else?" Kensai's motive quickly came into mind after she spoke.

"Kensai, stop it already, you've done enough!" I ordered her as my fingers began to glide past her naval.

"Almost there," Kensai said between sucks.

"Shit, why can't I stop her?" I asked myself as my fingers began to reach for their destination. "Oh God, please stop her. Someone stop her, Shion, Kenshin, anybody, please... Stop it, for the love of God," the tears began to streak down my cheeks, but regardless, Kensai continued her dirty deed, "please... Kensai, you've done enough," I began to beg, "let her go already. Let her go," my voice began to fall behind my tears, "let her go... LET HER GO!" the words finally escaped my lips.

The skin over Misanagi's eyes suddenly sprang up, those rusty brown pupils taking all the white in her eyes. Her foot suddenly shot toward my stomach, making me stumble back, my back hitting the roof first. My head sprung forward, to find the ninja rolling against her back, springing back to her feet with her hands, those same hands covering her once concealed skin after.

"You're disgraceful!" she spat, all her henchmen jumping to her side after. "Himura Mina, you shall pay for this treacherous act, I shall see to it!"

Smoke suddenly swarmed below the feet of the shadow warriors, climbing up their feet and the rest of their figures, eventually engulfing each within the dark cloud. The smog began to fill my lungs, blocking the passage of my throat. Shutting my eyes from the gray cloud, I coughed the substance out of my lungs, coughing until the smog had subsided. Turning to where the ninjas once were, there was nothing, just pieces of tile remained on the roof.

"Mina-san!" Shion's voice interrupted my observation.

I turned to the streets below to find my men waiting, some injured, others laying on the ground, but most still standing. I pushed my feet against the roof of the warehouse once more, launching me upward and then back down to the streets.

"Mina-san, are you okay?" Shion asked.

"I'm fine, Shion, that I am," I answered, putting the best smile on my face as possible.

In truth, I was not fine. I had added yet another sin to my list, even if I was not the one to commit it. I was filled with guilt and sadness, I pitied that shinobi for what Kensai had done to her. I wanted to cry for her, but my eyes just wouldn't let me, the translucent rivers must've all escaped my eyes when I begged for the woman's sake. It was just horrible, I'm sure I could also feel the pain she must've been going through, as if I were the one who was in her place. Kensai, that sick bitch, how I hate her, I hate every part of her being; her voice, her attitude, her personality, and especially the fact I can never get rid of her as long as I live.

"What about your wounds?" Tetsu returned me to reality, reminding me of the two stabs I had received earlier.

I turned back to the injuries, the red streams had been dried out, the craters patched. I ran my finger down the mark above my chest, my entire body suddenly scrunched, it still hurt.

"They're okay," I answered, "still kind of stings though. Anyway, can anyone report our losses?" I asked all my men, trying to forget of the dirty deed that had just occurred.

"Five dead, sixteen wounded," one soldier reported.

"I guess we did pretty well then," I sighed, wiping away the perspiration from my brow.

"The ninjas couldn't get a hold of anything on the ships luckily," the soldier continued, "maybe we could take the..."

"Sink the ships," I ordered my men.

"Why Himura-san?" one of the other soldiers asked.

"We can't allow anyone to get a hold of what's on there," I answered, "whether it's Cho Shu, Satsuma, the Bakufu, there's no exceptions! Sink the ships!"

For a few seconds, my men just stood there in place, probably questioning my decision. But just like dominoes, they all fell before my order as soon as one did. Shion was the first to fall, taking up her spear and heading toward the nearest ship. Tetsu fell next, and the numbers just multiplied after that.

"Aren't you going to help them?" Kensai asked me as I observed my men setting fire to the large boats.

"Keep your mouth shut, you disgusting bitch!" I tried to ignore her.

"And just for the record," Kensai continued, "I didn't lie to you about battles I couldn't win, but battles in which you could."

Kensai shut her mouth after that. I didn't understand what she meant by, 'all I am is someone who's good at one thing, killing, but you on the other hand, you possess even more power than myself.' It just didn't make sense. 'How am I more powerful than Kensai?' I asked myself. I didn't want to dwell on it too much so I simply brushed the words aside with the brush of my sword against the wind.

We sunk the three structures, it's technology to be forever lost in the sea, or so I thought. That technology, however, would make it to Japan sooner or later, I just didn't know it. We returned to Kyoto shortly, the sun had risen as soon as we returned. Katsura had greeted us once we had returned, all my men had went to their rooms to rest after the grueling assignment, I was stuck giving the report. I informed Katsura of the unexpected turn of events, about the ships arriving early and of the Sanada Ninjas, but I could not inform of Kensai's attempted rape, there would be no way that he could believe it was my body acting alone, so all I could do was keep my mouth shut. Katsura didn't think of the Sanada Ninjas as a threat, he simply said that they'll probably just remain in the shadows after this incident, but of course, I knew that wasn't going to be the case after what had transpired that evening. After giving my report, I just wanted to lay back and rest. I was about to climb up the stairs to my room when Shion had stopped me.

"Mina-san," Shion greeted me at the stairs.

"What is it, Shion?" I asked as I began my way up the stairs.

"About what I was going to tell you yesterday," she stated.

"What about it?" I asked as I stopped before the door to my room.

"It's just that...," her finger began trailing her palm again, "I...I love you!" she suddenly blurted.

"Nani?!" my heart suddenly jumped.

'What the fuck?!' I cursed in my head. 'Just what I needed! First there was stupid Kensai and her attempted lesbian rape a few hours ago and now Shion is suddenly attracted to me?! Don't I have all the luck? Why can't men ever find me attractive, I mean, find me attractive and not try and have their way with me?!'

"Look, Shion, I...," I tried to tell I was uninterested but she suddenly stopped me.

My mouth was suddenly engulfed with her's, I was locked in place. No matter how hard I tried to push away, I just wasn't strong enough to do so. I tried pushing her back, but again, no avail. I don't even want to think of how long we stood there, actually she just stood there, I was trying to pull myself away. Wind suddenly slid passed my ear, I knew it wasn't going to be good. My eyes veered to their edges to find my brother standing right there, the door slid wide open.

"ORO?!" Kenshin jumped upon seeing this lip lock. "Gomen, Mina," Kenshin quickly slid the door closed again, one hand sliding the door, the other pinching his nose, preventing any more ruby rivers from flooding out.

Shion broke the seal a few seconds after Kenshin had suddenly left, my mouth had been sucked dry thanks to Shion's pulling as our mouths were locked together. God, I just wanted to puke after that!

"I'll see you later, Mina-san," Shion smiled, her hand sliding against my arm as she returned downstairs.

"My life is so screwed up!" I groaned after Shion had left. "I'm sure Kensai would've enjoyed that, the sick bitch," I spat away the residue on my lips.

At that very moment, a thought had stretched across my mind. It had been the first time I had thought about it. The thought was, 'If Kensai and I were in the same body and share the same thoughts and memories, doesn't that make us one person?' If that's so, then was that me who slaughtered all those men. Was it I that tried to rape Misanagi? Am I really attracted to men and (ugh!) women? I didn't want to think about it, I still don't want to think about it. No, I do not wish to talk about it either! Quit insisting already, just stop it! Just...leave me alone! No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lash out like that, just give me a few moments to cool down...

Chapter 16 Liner Notes  
  


A little bit about Kensai- Kensai is a product of Multiple Personality Disorder, in other words, she is the alternate personality of Mina. As you read in this chapter, Kensai is attracted to woman, but why is that? Well, in about half the cases of Multiple Personality Disorder, the alternate persona usually has a different sexual preference than the normal persona, which explains why Kensai's a lesbian.  
  


(Next time: "For once in my life, I, the hunter, had become the hunted. I had narrowly escaped death, escaped the talons of the Kensai. They say that devils know their own kind, and I know when they come out to play..." -Misanagi the Flying Arrow)  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was it? Yeah, yeah, I'm not good at this lemon/lime type stuff, I'm still learning. I felt kinda awkward when writing the attempted rape scene, but hey, this fic is supposed to be dark and everything. Besides, I told you readers that there'd be some yuri in this fic (don't worry, that's as graphic as it'll get, at least for the yuri, but for the lemon chapter, I'm not sure yet), this is supposed to be a dark fic after all, so I'm pulling out all the stops, so yeah, you can expect some more homosexual themes (not too much, I'm not really a yaoi/yuri fan), a cult (you know, one of those dark religious groups), and a lot of dark stuff (drugs for one thing, you'll just have to find out the rest by reading on). Just to let you know ahead of time, Misanagi will be one of the main villains in this fic, and who can blame her, she'll even appear in the 'Twin Dragon Arc' remake (the current version is posted on Fanfiction.net and Pyschotikrk, it sucks in comparison to this fic anyway). Well, leave me a review, but not a flame, it'll make my day. Well, I guess that's it for now, later!


	19. Plagued by Darkness

Author's Note: All right guys, here's the deal, this fic is going to be at least sixty chapters long so I'm going to separate the separate story arcs into different story entries. As a result, there will be three different story entries of "Crimson String" in the future, each one with a different arc of the story. This arc will end within chapter 30 or so, then you'll have to watch out for "Crimson String Book II: A Rurouni's Path". Well, enough of my talking, let's get on with the show!

  
  


Chapter 17: Plagued by Darkness

  
  


After that little incident with Shion, I knew I had some explaining to do with Kenshin. As soon as I could, I dashed into the room, slamming the door to the other side as I entered.

"Kenshin, I have something to talk with you about," I tried to explain what just happened.

"Oh no, there's nothing to explain," Kenshin said with his back turned, his fingers still pinching his nostrils together, "I have nothing against your preference in..."

"You see, that's it," I tried to explain, "I wasn't expecting anything like that from Shion, that I wasn't, it's just that she..."

"You don't have to explain," Kenshin tried to ignore me again.

"Look, Kenshin, I am not...," I tried to get my message across.

"I understand," Kenshin interrupted again, "Shion-dono suddenly brought that kiss upon you when you least expected it and I just arrived at the wrong moment, that I did."

"Hai, that's exactly what happened," I wiped away the river coming from my brow, "I'm glad you understand."

I slid against the nearby wall after, my feet giving out as soon as my back had touched it. I was so tired after last night, not to mention shaken by Kensai's actions after I had defeated Misanagi. I know that woman wasn't going to let me get away with what Kensai tried to do, all I could do was pray that didn't happen anytime soon.

"Mina," Kenshin looked to me once the crimson river stopped flowing from his nose.

"Hai?" I turned to him.

"There's a festival going on this evening," Kenshin brought up, "Katsura-dono has decided to let everyone take the evening off, I was wondering if the two of us can go out together later?"

"Are you serious?" I asked, pinching my leg to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"I mean, only as your older brother of course," Kenshin quickly brought up, his hands waving from side to side as he spoke, "that is if you want, if not I can completely understand, that I..."

"Actually, I would love to go to the festival with you," I answered.

"Really, th..that's great, that it is," Kenshin smiled as he scratched an itch from the back of his neck.

"Let me rest first though," I yawned as I crawled toward my futon.

I had fallen asleep in an instant, my eyes were so weighed down that I had no strength left to lift them. Within what seemed like a blink, it was already night, well, it didn't seem like night when I had awakened. I was greeted with many lights outside, along with the chattering of many. There was a festival going on all right, it must be for Kodomo-no-Hi. I guess that would explain why there were some paper fish hanging on my balcony. It was pretty noisy outside, people were still carrying swords, but it didn't look like anyone had any intention to draw them, not with all the kids around at least.

"Mina, are you awake yet?" Kenshin knocked from the other side of the door.

"Hai," I answered, pushing the blanket of my futon away, "I'll be right down, just let me get dressed."

I didn't want to wear my usual navy blue kimono out to the festival, it just wouldn't be right. For once I could dress up formal and not have to worry about getting blood spilt over it. I searched through my closet, most of it was just spare kimonos for battle. I did however, find something just right for the occasion though, a nice red kimono with a splash of yellow and floral design on it. I quickly slipped out of my old kimono, throwing it to the other side of the room in the process. I felt the softness of the silky fabric as it slipped on my shoulders, the smooth texture wrapped well with my body. For once, you can see my figure, those other kimonos I wore you couldn't, and for the longest time I didn't have to wear a hamaka or bandages around my breasts either, my legs and chest felt a bit more free because of that. I had a pair of descent shoes for something like this, they were about an inch tall, making me the same height as Kenshin. Unfortunately, I had no fancy ribbons or make up, but then again, I never really liked make-up in the first place. I hurried downstairs as fast as I could, nearly tripping over each step as I usually did when I was running. Kenshin was waiting for me at the end of the stairs, unfortunately wearing his usual garb instead of something fancy.

"How do I look?" I asked Kenshin upon arrival.

"N... nice," Kenshin stuttered as he took a long glance at me.

"Well, let's go," I took his hand, leading us outside of the inn.

The streets were even more crowded than they were when I glanced down at them from my room. Everywhere you stepped, your feet would most likely crush the toes of another. The noise was even louder than it was from inside, I'm sure I heard at least ten conversations going on at once.

"Wow, I want to look at that!" I dragged Kenshin to the nearest booth.

This particular vendor had never put up shop here before, he would always have his store posted at the other side of town, but I guess he decided to try a new area for once. I would always go to his store during my free time, he sold all sorts of interesting trinkets. From children's drums, to mirrors, to hair ribbons, the stand had everything that amazed me.

"Is there something you like, young lady?" the vendor asked as I stared at the merchandise in awe.

My eyes quickly raced through each of the items, I felt like I was a kid again, at least a younger kid. Toys, make-up, and ribbons, this vendor had everything I needed. I must've glanced through each item a million times until my eyes suddenly halted before a particular item.

"Did you find something you like, Mina?" Kenshin asked as I took the item into my hands.

It was a purple ribbon, smooth as a baby's skin, I could practically pet it against my face to set me to sleep. It was nicely folded, the material wrapped around my hands as I stretched it, not a wrinkle on it. How much I wanted it...

"How much is it?" I asked the vendor, brushing my face against the material as I spoke.

"One hundred ryo," the vendor answered.

"Are you kidding me?!" my head sprang back up.

"It's made of silk from the West," the vendor explained, "I'm sure you would understand."

"One hundred ryo just for...!" I began to scrunch the ribbon as I curled my fingers into a fist.

"Sir, I'll pay for it, that I will," Kenshin suddenly interrupted.

"Nani?!" I turned to Kenshin surprised.

"Arigatou, sir," the vendor thanked Kenshin as he handed him the money.

"Kenshin, why did...?" I looked to my brother, surprised by his latest action.

"I took the trouble of buying so please wear it," Kenshin responded with a smile.

"A... arigatou," I bowed, "I will, starting at this moment."

Immediately, I took the band that collected my hair and pried it away, freeing my hair for a few moments. I brought the silk cloth from under my strands, pulling it upward as I began to tie together. One loop over the other, it was in place. For some reason, I was as happy as a girl who had just been proposed to during Tanabata Day.

"How does it look?" I asked Kenshin, my feet spinning to the east, showing him every possible side view there is.

"It looks as if it was made for you, that it does," Kenshin answered.

"Arigatou, Kenshin," I quickly wrapped my arms around him. "Hey, what's that over there?" my eyes quickly caught the attention of another vendor.

That ribbon meant a lot to me, I still wear it to this day. I always wear my ribbon at every opportunity I could, I never tire of it's soft texture. The only times I would actually remove it is when I take a bath or sleep, other than that, it's always on me. It's dark purple material reminds me of my eyes, a darker tint anyway. You must think I'm being silly just to be excited over a piece of cloth, but this is actually the only present Kenshin has ever given me, and it serves a greater purpose that I shall reveal a bit later on.

Kenshin and I must've gone through every vendor in the entire city. There were all sorts of trinkets I would've found interesting if I wasn't focusing on my new ribbon. We enjoyed the shows of the festival as well, there were many puppet shows, all of them intended for the children, but I didn't care, I was still a child myself to a degree. Kenshin must've enjoyed them too; I saw him smiling the entire time the shows were playing. I never wanted that evening to end, our first date. No, I can't call it a date, it was just an outing with my brother. We must've stayed up for hours, and we were getting pretty hungry. Kenshin volunteered to pay for dinner at this fancy restaurant. Luckily it wasn't too crowded. I ordered a dish of grilled chicken with a side of rice, Kenshin had mackerel with radish along with a serving of rice, and the two of us shared a bottle of sake for a drink.

"How is it?" Kenshin asked as I swallowed a helping of poultry.

"It's good," I answered as I poured myself a glass of sake, "your's?"

"It's my favorite," Kenshin answered, eagerly digging into the fish.

"So mackerel's your favorite, Kenshin?" I asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Hai," Kenshin nodded, "and your's?"

"I enjoy strawberry mochi," I answered, "it's been quite a while since I've had some."

"Miss," Kenshin called for the waitress, "can you get us some strawberry mochi, please?"

"Kenshin, are you sure you can afford all this?" I asked after he ordered our desert.

"Don't worry about it, Mina," Kenshin assured me, "I've been saving up for a day like this, that I have."

We enjoyed the rest of our meal, talking about times when we weren't on duty and when we just hung out. Yeah, I know I haven't really spoke of Kenshin during my tale, but I can't go through ever little detail, my story would just go on for eternity if I did so. We really were close, it's just that most of our free time had nothing to really do with the events that lead me up to here.

"Well, what should we do now?" Kenshin asked after our meal.

"Let's go home," I proposed, lighting my tobacco pipe as I spoke.

The streets were virtually empty the time we left the restaurant. Luckily Kenshin had brought a lantern with him, using it to push away the shadows that lay in our path. The only sounds we heard now were those of our own feet, a click and clack followed my feet as I pushed them against the ground. We were almost at the inn when the shadows begun to move rather oddly. Darkness quickly brushed through the lantern's path, something definitely wasn't right. We stood there for a few moments, waiting for that shadow to pass again, but it didn't.

"It must've been a cat," I concluded after a few seconds, only to feel the shadows brushing against me from behind now.

"Mina, stay close!" Kenshin ordered after.

I was unarmed at the moment so I had no choice but to obey. I clung tightly onto his kimono's sleeve, burying my forehead on his shoulder. I wasn't scared, I was just using this as an excuse to stay close with him. I just wanted to nuzzle his shoulder, but that would just make him lose his guard and leave us vulnerable to what was stalking us. I sensed something coming from the shadows within seconds, coming from behind.

"Kenshin!" I warned him.

Kenshin quickly turned, drawing his blade as he spun. Several shards of metal dropped to the ground after, digging into the stone road. It was obvious who the culprit was, ninjas, Sanada Ninjas to be exact.

"Mina, take this," Kenshin slid his wakezashi into my hand.

Without hesitating, I slid the short blade out of it's sheath, holding it close to me as I waited for the shadows to try and swallow us. It came so suddenly, the shadow sprung forward, luckily my blade was waiting for his heart as soon as he had leapt out. With the fall of one, the rest of the shadows began to engulf us. There was no way out. Kenshin and I had to make one. We charged forward, swinging left and right, illuminating the area in crimson glow, the shadows were now visible in all directions.

"Mina, you go on ahead," Kenshin suddenly ordered.

"No, Kenshin, it's...," I tried to explain the events that happened last night, but he jumped to the rooftops, all of the ninjas following him after, "...me they want...," I kicked the dust before my feet.

Before I could follow, I heard the wind swirling toward me from behind. Quickly I turned, my blade leading my body's path as I did so. Steel crashed once my back was now where my front was, my eyes now fixed on the devil from last night.

"Misanagi the Flying Arrow," my eyes narrowed upon meeting her's.

"Hitokiri Kensai," Misanagi grinned.

The two of us jumped back after, regaining our bearings quickly. I didn't want to fight her, Kensai had already done so much damage to her that I would feel guilty taking her life. I guess Misanagi didn't seem to care, all she must've wanted was revenge.

"Misanagi, I have no intention to fight you, that I don't," I tried to offer her a treaty.

"I have every intention to!" Misanagi sprang forward.

Again, my blade caught her own, her teeth biting down on her lip as she forced her sword toward me. I had no intention to fight back, only to evade her attacks, so I simply pushed her away with my foot, but that didn't seem to help. The shinobi quickly launched herself back at me, her hand wrapping itself around my collar as her knees pressed me against the floor. Her sword pierced the ground as I tilted my neck to the side to evade the stab, I tilted it to the other side when she went for the second. I had no choice but to strike back now, so I swung at her side but she quickly saw this and used her usual back flip to evade.

"Misanagi, let's stop this before either of us is killed," I tried once more to reason with her.

"What a pathetic way to beg for your life!" the ninja said as she charged once more.

She swung from the side, but again my sword caught it. She followed with a chop from her hand from the opposite direction which I was easily able to evade by ducking. Attacks just flew from all directions after that. I made sure my blade only deflected her's, never using it to catch a punch or kick. No attacks had landed from that fury, the two of us were tired from all that after a few minutes later. There was still no sign of Kenshin, and there was no way I could or wanted to defeat her in my state.

"Nani?!" my hand suddenly began to twitch. "No, not now," I gripped it's wrist with my other hand, dropping my blade in the process.

I had forgotten about Misanagi for a second, and within that second, she attacked once more. I took a glance up a millisecond later to find her blade leading her charge, piercing the air as she ran. Then, without my input, I rolled forward, evading the stab and taking my sword back into my hand in the process, pulling it upward as I rolled. I found myself behind Misanagi now, the two of us standing in place, waiting for the effects of our attacks. A small click came from Misanagi's direction, followed by a loud clang when the blade of her sword fell to the floor.

"Perfect," my body said without my input.

"This can't be...," Misanagi's slowly began to turn toward me.

"You should have listened to her," Kensai spoke from my lips, her hand pulling against my ribbon, freeing my hair from it's constraint.

"Her?" Misanagi asked, her eyes widening as she began to back away.

"Now I have you right where I want you!" Kensai said as my feet pushed my body forward.

"Kensai, don't!" I yelled at her as she began to chase Misanagi. "She's suffered enough!"

Kensai had ignored my warning, continuing to chase the shinobi down. We didn't run for very long until Misanagi stopped in place, placing her fists before her as she turned.

"I may not have a sword, but these hands are all I need as a weapon!" Misanagi screamed as she charged forward.

Kensai drew my sword again, charging into battle once more. Misanagi swung first with a lunge with her arm, Kensai simply held my sword in front to catch the attack, cutting her fist at the same time. Misanagi ignored the pain of from her hand and swung her leg upward after. Kensai used this to her advantage, grabbing the leg with her free arm and pushing all of my body weight forward to cause both of us to fall.

"For trying to pull a stunt like that I should kill you now!" Kensai spat as she grabbed Misanagi's neck.

Kensai brought her blade up, the point aimed at the base of her throat. I could see the fear in Misanagi's eyes, an emotion that was long forgotten to the ninja. I continued to scream at Kensai, but it seemed she had ignored me. Kensai began to push my blade forward, but the blade had stopped once the tip had touched her neck. Slowly, Kensai pulled my body up, taking my ribbon into my hand and began to tie it back in it's place. After the one loop was set over the other, I once again had control of my body. I turned back to the frozen Misanagi, still paralyzed by fear.

"Go," I ordered her, sliding my brother's sword back into it's sheath.

Slowly her back rose from the ground, her hands pushing her back to her feet. She stared at me oddly for a few seconds, probably wondering why I suddenly chose mercy when I was so close to killing her. She quickly turned her back and began to walk toward the darkness.

"Hitokiri Kensai," Misanagi stopped before being completely engulfed in darkness, "one day I will pay you back for the events that had transpired over the last two nights, always remember that!"

And with that, the shinobi was swallowed into the dark realm once more. I stood there in the remaining flicker of the crimson light, wondering what caused Kensai to stop so suddenly.

"The ribbon," I concluded.

A simple accessory was the key to controlling Kensai, it must signify which of us is in control. Now that I recall this in the present, Kensai was calling for me before I was impaled by Misanagi's sword, and then she suddenly evaded the attack for us, pulling out my ribbon in the process. Also when Kensai was about to kill Misanagi, I was also calling for her, and then I took control, tying the ribbon back in my hair after. This was the key to controlling her; my ribbon. It's rather stupid if you think about it, but it doesn't matter if I can somehow control her to an extent now.

"Mina, there you are," Kenshin appeared shortly.

"Are you okay?" I asked Kenshin after he appeared.

"Hai, for some reasons the ninjas just left so suddenly," Kenshin answered.

"Well, we should get going home now," I suggested, brushing away the recent incident aside.

A simple accessory used to keep back the demon within, that is the true reason I wear my ribbon.

Chapter 17 Liner Notes

  
  


What's 'Kodomo-no-Hi'?- It's a holiday that's dedicated to boys and girls that's celebrated on May fifth. 'Kodomo-no-Hi' is roughly translated as 'Children's Day', and those who celebrate it decorate their homes with paper carp, hence the paper fish Mina spoke of.

  
  


What's a 'mochi'?- It's a round Japanese pastry, sometimes kept frozen like ice cream. The outside is made of some kind of sticky dough and the inside is usually filled with a fruit filling, or nowadays, chocolate, coffee, and other sweets from the Western world.

  
  


About the recent fight between Mina and Misanagi- It is through this fight that Misanagi learns of Kenshin through her men. If you can recall in the anime, Misanagi knew about Kenshin, and after this battle, this is the first time she has ever heard of him.

  
  


About Mina's ribbon- Yeah, I know it's a stupid concept to have a ribbon keep Kensai in check, but this item is actually based on divine items in myths that supposedly kept demons inside a person if the item was worn. I know the concept is dumb, but hey, she's gotta keep Kensai in check somehow, right, and I can't think of a better way either.

  
  


(Next time: "Birthdays are supposed to be days of happiness. People sing songs, people talk, and people be merry all day long. In this world, I cannot find happiness, the sake for this occasion is of a dark crimson shade, the banquet still breathes as the guests tear at it's muscle, and the symphony is filled with nothing but screams. An uninvited guest has crashed the party, eyes as narrow as the crack in the streets and a steel fang on his left hand, if he wishes to invade, he must face the creature that plagues me..." -Himura Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was it? Just to let you guys know ahead of time, I'm going to cut down on the violence a bit, and focus a bit more on character development in future chapters, so some fight scenes might seem a bit dull or whatever, but it's supposed to build on Mina's character. Anyway, I'd like to thank Crystal for reviewing nearly every chapter. Now that Emiri-chan has stopped reading this fic, I'll have Crystal's reviews give me the encouragement to go on, so I thank you ahead of time Crystal, and please don't stop reading this fic, your reviews mean a lot to me, as do the reviews of the rest of you other readers. So drop me a review, but not a flame. Oh, and there will be two versions of the next chapter because there will be a lemon (Kenshin and Mina, I know Crystal's been waiting for this, so please be patient). Well, that's it, later people!


	20. Bloody Summer EDITED

Author's Note: This is the edited version of chapter 18, the only real difference is that the uncut chapter has a small lemon with Kenshin and Mina, the lemon takes place in the beginning if you're wondering, other than that, the edited and uncut chapters are exactly the same. I also decided to put a little bit of comedy in this chapter, to kind of lighten up the dark mood. Well, that's enough talk, let's get on with the show!

  
  


Chapter 18: Bloody Summer

  
  


Not much happened after the Kodomo-no-Hi incident, Kenshin and I simply followed orders as we usually did, going into battle nearly everyday. I guess the only real important things were that Tetsu was transferred to the Satsuma Clan about a month ago to make up for their losing numbers. Also, Shion had returned to the Satsuma Clan after about two months of absence, I was glad when she finally left, I didn't even say good-bye to her. I cringe when I think about what she might have done if I said good-bye, it just wasn't right, even if I considered her a friend and all. 

My theory about the ribbon worked on each occasion I tried it, I would have to simply remove it to have Kensai take control and have her put the ribbon back on to have me revert back to normal. Although I did take off my ribbon when I took a bath or slept, but she never took over when I did those things.

Anyway, let me get back to the story. This day that I speak of now was a very special day for Kenshin and I. The date of my story is now June 28, 1866, the day Kenshin and I were born. It must be fate that the two of us were born on the same day, although two years apart. We had no assignments that evening, we were free to stay at the inn as the others went out. I was in my room most of the time, I'm not sure where Kenshin went. It was about the middle of the night when he called for me, I was reading a book called 'The Forty Seven Ronin'. I went out to the balcony of our room to find Kenshin outside in the yard.

"Kenshin, what is it?" I called to him. "If you wanted to speak with me, you could've just come into our room."

"Mina, I need to speak with you about something," Kenshin told me, "please come down, it's very important."

"Come down?" I asked. "Why don't you just..."

"I don't want anyone to hear what I have to say to you," Kenshin interrupted, "please..."

"All right, Kenshin," I called, "I'm coming down."

"What could he want to tell me?" I thought to myself as I hurried down the steps to the yard.

I went to the yard, yet there was no one to be found. All that stood there were the flowers the maids had arranged and the laundry hanging on the clothes line. My head turned in all directions of the yard, still no sign of my brother anywhere.

"Mina...," my name suddenly flew into my ears.

"Kenshin!" I jumped, surprised by his sudden entrance. "Wha...what is it you wanted to tell me?" I stuttered.

"I love you," he suddenly blurted.

"Kenshin, are you serious?" I asked as my heart tried to escape my chest.

"Do you not love me?" he asked, his body beginning to inch toward mine.

"It's not that," I answered as he took another step forward, his body touching mine now, "it's just that..."

"Sh," he placed his finger on my lips.

"Oh Kenshin...," I wrapped my arms around him, burying my head on his chest.

Suddenly I felt something pressing against my head, making it's way downward. It was his lips, plucking at my forehead, making it's way down to the bridge of my nose. My chin slowly rose up with each kiss, the kisses now above my lips as my chin pointed directly at the ground. And within a second later, his lips were now pressed against my own. I could feel his tongue mingling with mine, our lips wrestling with one another, trying to get on top of the other, and my arms moving from his back to his shoulders. I suddenly felt myself falling backward, pulling Kenshin with me, our lips continuing their bickering as I pressed my back against the grass. His lips began to pull away, and despite how hard mine fought, I could not bring them back. 

I looked forward to see the stars illuminating the smile on Kenshin's face. It was different from the way he usually smiled, I don't know how to explain it, but it just felt different as I stared into his visage. The visage began to inch closer again, this time being pulled toward my ear. His body was now pressed against mine, his face was on the same level as my own, a few centimeters to the left.

"You're very beautiful," he whispered into my ear, gently tugging at the lobe after.

"Kenshin...," his name barely escaped my lips.

"Mina," Kenshin called, "Mina," the level of his voice rose, "Mina!"

"Oro?" I soon myself staring into the ceiling.

"Good morning," Kenshin greeted me, his usual smile on his face, "it's a fine day, that it is."

"Oh, good morning, Kenshin," I yawned.

"Dammit, just a dream!" I mentally kicked myself after. "Of all the times he had to wake me, he chose now!"

"Come on," Kenshin tugged my blanket away from my futon, "get up."

"All right," I began to push myself off the floor.

"I was almost there too," I continued to groan inside, "dammit! Don't worry, Mina, today's his and your birthday, you might have a chance."

The dining room was as busy as it always was when I came down, and our usual meal too, nothing special. I was really tired of having pork and rice, that was what all our meals pretty much were, with the occasional miso soup, but even that tasted like crap now. My thoughts couldn't help but linger back to my dream the entire time I ate, wasn't a good idea that I did that though, because the next thing I knew, I'm being yelled at by the guys at the other side of the hall.

"Hey, pass the rice already, Kensai!" one of the soldier's yelling interrupted my fantasy.

"Oh, gomen," I quickly snapped back into reality, passing the bowl of rice to Kenshin after.

"Good day, everyone," Katsura entered the dining hall after, "I hope you have all slept well."

"I sure did, but someone just had to wake me up!" I grumbled.

"Did you say something, Mina-kun?" Katsura asked after my grumbling.

"No, nothing, Katsura-dono," I quickly answered.

"All right then, let's get to the point," Katsura took his usual seat in the hall. "Tonight's assignment is a rather simple one. Our spies have gotten word that the Shinsengumi's leader, Kondou Isami, will be patrolling Kyoto tonight along with the usual first, second, and third squads. Our objective for tonight is to kill Kondou at any cost, this is an extremely rare event and this could be the key to the Shinsengumi's fall."

"You call that simple?" I thought sarcastically. "You know that guy's going to have a million bodyguards or something if he's that important."

"He will patrol Kyoto around ten this evening, I wish you all luck," Katsura ended his speech, leaving the hall soon after.

"Can't he give us a break for once?" I sighed after Katsura had left.

"I understand how you feel, Mina, that I do," Kenshin tried to console me, "but this could very well change the tide for the Ishin Shishi, that it can."

"You're probably right," I took my empty plate up and began to leave the room.

"Oh, and Mina," Kenshin suddenly stopped me. "Happy Birthday, Sister."

"Arigatou," I bowed, "and happy birthday to you."

Well, at least he remembered my birthday, that kind of made up for him ruining my dream earlier. Actually, not really, my birthday shouldn't be hard for him to remember, it's on the same day as his. Still, it was rather nice that he told me.

I returned to my room shortly, getting back to my book, 'The Forty Seven Ronin', sitting against the wall as I engulfed myself into the fictitious world. The world slowly began to pull me in, or was it that I was falling asleep again, I'm not sure, but then Kenshin's voice interrupted me.

"Mina!" Kenshin called from the yard.

I turned to the balcony for a second, and then returned to my book. He called my name once more, this time his voice pulling me towards him. I set the pages flat against the ground as I made my way to the balcony.

"What is it, Kenshin?" I asked.

"Come down, Mina," Kenshin called, "there's something I have to discuss with you."

"Is this a dream?" I asked myself, pinching the skin on my side after. "Nope, not a dream, could it be that..."

"I'm coming down!" I called back, wasting little time to the yard.

Now I would normally almost trip over each step on the stairs when I was excited about something, but this time I actually tripped. As soon as my toes touched the air before the first step, I knew I was in trouble. There I went, tumbling on each step, my back or my chest would hit the step before I the rest of my body followed. It wasn't very long when I found my face lying against the ground on the first floor.

"Ororororororo...," I saw the stars suddenly dancing around me.

Ignoring the stars and the pain now passing through my entire body, I continued toward the yard, putting on the best smile I could. There he was, standing there in the middle of the yard, his arms folded behind his back, and smiling at me the exact same way he was during my dream.

"You wanted to speak with me, Kenshin?" my cheeks suddenly began to burn.

"Ta da!" Kenshin's arms suddenly sprang forward, along with an odd shaped piece of glass.

"What is this?" I asked taking the glass into my hands, disappointed at the outcome of the events.

"It's a gift from Katsura-dono," Kenshin answered, "it's some kind of foreign drink called 'red wine'."

"That's all you wanted to discuss with me?" I asked, the inside of me just wanting to tear Kenshin's limbs out.

"Well I would've gone upstairs to our room if you wanted me to but you suddenly darted out of the room after I called you," Kenshin explained.

"Dammit, I knew it was too good to be true!" I mentally kicked myself for the second time that day.

"Well, shall we try it out?" Kenshin asked as he tore the cork away from the bottle.

"I guess," I shrugged.

Kenshin handed me a glass and began to pour the liquid in. There was something about this drink, was it the color, or was it the smell? I don't know, either way, I knew I wasn't going to like the drink.

"Aren't you going to drink it?" Kenshin asked as he poured himself a glass.

"Huh?" I snapped back into reality, "yeah." I took the contents into my mouth.

As soon as it touched my lips, I quickly spat out the liquid. It was horrible, so bitter and... ugh, I can't really describe the taste. I turned toward the alcoholic fluid as it began to seep into the ground. It's image reminded me of something, something that was now common to me on the battlefield; blood.

"You don't like it?" Kenshin asked after my reaction.

"No!" I wiped away the remaining contents from my lips.

"Me neither," Kenshin poured the rest of his glass to the ground.

I poured the remaining contents to the ground, I could still taste the foul liquid as it splattered into the grass. Red wine, I would never like to drink that stuff again, however, I knew I would see it's ravishing color again very soon.

The rest of the day nothing else really went on, it sure as heck didn't feel like my birthday, maybe due to the fact that no one was celebrating the occasion. It didn't matter anyway, soldiers have more important things to worry about than days in which people were born. 

When night fell, it was time to strike. Kenshin and I were to lead our own squads again, meaning we were to split up into different parts of the city. My men and I scouted the east side of the city, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, just the usual Wolf patrolling here and there, nothing we couldn't handle. We patrolled for hours, there didn't seem to be any sign of Kondou Isami anywhere. It was about two in the morning when we were about to give up, but then my men and I turned one particular corner. Peaking from it's side, there was a pack of dogs we had never seen before, none of the faces were familiar to any of my men or I. They all seemed to be looking toward one particular wolf. He had a rather wide face and build, it was obvious this man had worked out a lot, his coat was also a bit different from the others, it was still sky blue, but the contents that were inside the coat were different. It was some form of metal, jet black, it seemed to cover his entire body. I counted thirteen men, nothing my squad and I couldn't handle, I was sure I could take out all those men by myself. I didn't want to devise a plan, I felt like I didn't need to, so I blindly rushed in, my men trying so desperately to catch up with my god-like speed. 

The first Wolf that turned his skull was the first to fall before the rest of his pack. With my sheath pointed outward, I freed it's contents with a swing to the east. The Wolf fell quickly, his fall softened by a pool of his own blood. The rest of my men followed after, striking at whatever Wolf came their way. I turned to my side to find another one of the sky blue coats flying in my direction, his arms above his head so that his blade can reflect the moon's glow. I knew the drill for attacks like this, a simple plunge to the mid-section did the trick. Of course, that still didn't kill him, I wanted to make short work of him so pulled my blade toward his skull, splitting it and his neck as I extracted the blade. I ignored the splash of crimson that came after, instead turning to my next opponent who had already taken the initiative in this fight by using the pack's favorite attack, a parallel stab. I dodged the attack with a simple step to the side, planting my blade across the back of the Wolf's neck, pushing it forward with all my strength until his head rolled of his neck. I allowed my self to bathe in the scarlet spring for moment, watching the Alpha Dog fight several of my men. The Dog struck first, plunging his sword into one of my men, but what followed after was a shock. Wind had somehow burst through my soldier's wound, striking another one of my men down as if he were struck with the same attack. The remaining soldier went for an overhead attack as the Dog readied his blade once more. The Dog missed his swing, my soldier jumping to the side at the last moment, but again, wind flew from the blade's direction, a fountain of blood spraying from my soldier's chest suddenly. What the hell was all of this?!

"You there," the Dog turned to my attention after, "are you in charge of these men?"

"I am," I took a step toward the Dog, "my name is Himura Mina, that it is, also known as the Hitokiri Kensai."

"Hitokiri Kensai," the Dog grinned for a second, "the sister of the infamous Battousai. Then you must know who I am then."

"Kondou Isami," I tightened the grip on my sword, "in the name of the Ishin Shishi, I will..."

"Reinforcements!" one of my men suddenly called.

"Shit!" I bit my lip as I turned to the east.

"This battle will be postponed for now," Kondou slid his blade back into it's case.

"Kondou, are you running away?!" I yelled at the man as he turned his back toward me.

Before I could get a response, I suddenly found myself and the remainder of my soldiers surrounded by this new pack. I could see him between the gap of two Wolves, Kondou turning his back on me, walking away as if nothing had happened. I wanted to jump over these dogs that surrounded us and chase after the man, but I couldn't risk losing the rest of my soldiers.

"Himura-san, what do we do?" one of men asked.

"Himura," one Wolf suddenly caught my eye as he said my name, "I remember you," each member of the pack took a step back, making way for the narrow-eyed Wolf.

"Saito Hajime," I immediately recognized the man.

"How long has it been?" he asked, slipping his steel fang from it's sheath, "Three months, half a year?"

"Why does it matter?" my eyes narrowed, my pupils tracing each step he made.

"Stand down men," Saito suddenly ordered his men.

"What are you up to?" I asked the Wolf.

"A rematch," he answered, taking his sword into his left hand, his right trapping the tip between his thumb and index finger.

"You stand down as well," I ordered my men.

This wasn't good, the first time I had fought Saito I would've lost if the Ishin Shishi soldiers hadn't shown up in time. Just by looking into his narrow eyes, I knew Saito had improved since the last time I fought him. I had improved too, but I wasn't sure if my skills were now on the same level as his. No one was going to save me this time, I had to fight this one on my own, and I knew it.

He struck first, the blade piercing the wind as it continued to lay in his hand. His right hand quickly let go a step after, the blade pushing toward me as he twisted his back to the left. I struck in the opposite direction, catching the blade and locking us both in place. His next move wasn't anticipated though, a simple push with his shoulder using all of his weight had me pushed against the nearest wall. My back arched into the new crater formed in the building, my legs sinking to the floor, but there was no way I was going to go down that easy. My head quickly sprang up, another Gatoutsu before me, I had to counter this one. At the last moment, I pushed all my weight into the ground with my feet, springing myself up into the heavens.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Tsui-Sen!" I plummeted back to the ground, my sword leading the path of my fall.

"Is that all you got?!" Saito spat, switching the path of his sword in an instant, the bottom end of the hilt now parallel to the ground. "Gatoutsu Third Style!" he screamed as he suddenly darted toward me.

"An airborne Gatoutsu?!" I was shocked by his sudden change in attack.

I felt the cold steel etch itself just below my belly, it's point bursting through my back a second later. Fluid began to jump out of my throat, escaping the crack of my lips. The river ran down my chin as my teeth tried to seal the remaining substance, only to have it leak through the gaps between each tooth. Another piece of steel was now stretched across my belly, this one supporting my weight instead of slitting my flesh.

"Amazing, you avoided being stabbed," Saito said as my sword hovered my body as it rested on the guard of Saito's sword. "However," the blade suddenly twisted, his arm moving in the same direction, tossing me against another wall.

This time my entire body fell through the splintered wall, my legs dangling at it's entrance and my head resting on top of a piece of broken lumber.

"It's the end for me," I coughed, "but...," my fingers began to inch toward my ribbon.

Slowly they took hold of the silky material, pulling one end ever so gently. The material began to slide away from my hair, making it's way into my hand. I placed it inside the pocket of kimono's sleeve as a I pushed my blade into the ground outside, pulling at it after to regain my balance. I shut my eyes for a mere second, and before I could do anything, they opened once more without my input.

"That was pretty clever," Kensai spoke, "I never expected a stab to be so versatile, but now," Kensai slid my katana back into it's scabbard, "it's useless against me."

"You boast," Saito spat, "if you can recall, you haven't even deflected a single Gatoutsu. And now," his blade took it's place once more, "this will be the end!"

Again, the sword lead his path, the tip aimed toward my skull. Kensai pulled by blade outward at the last moment, holding the steel slab in place for one second. That was all the time she needed to strike, swinging my sheath outward and striking at Saito's ribs, it was his turn to fall through the whole in the wall.

"The Gatoutsu is a very predictable attack," Kensai spoke as she returned my sword into it's sheath again, "a simple lunge that can easily change direction or into a ram attack. Saito, I've seen this attack three times already, and I can easily find one or two ways around it! Now get up," Kensai spat, "this fight has only gotten started."

"That was only a test," Saito spoke as he pressed his hand against the breaking lumber, returning to his feet, "now I'll attack with the true Gatoutsu!" Saito said as he rose his sword above his head, the inner curve pointed toward his skull, right hand still supporting the tip.

"Pathetic," Kensai said.

Again, Saito had taken the initiative, his sword again leading the path of his attack. Kensai sprang forward in the next instant, swinging my blade at the very moment Saito pushed all his weight into his sword. Nothing but a simple clang when the two metals struck, Saito and Kensai remained in place for a few seconds, probably waiting for the other to attack. They turned back to each other a second later, returning their blades to their previous positions. They sprang forward again, Saito again striking first, Kensai striking a second later. Saito sprang his blade forward in the same manner, but Kensai had anticipated this. She swung with her left instead of her right, the oak case striking against his ribs just as his body turned in that very direction. Kensai smiled as she glided passed the Wolf, his jaw being dragged to the ground as they passed each other by. Kensai flew to the other end of the arena, her sword ready to be drawn once more.

"Well played," Saito coughed, "but...," he readied his blade once more.

The two of them stood there again for another unaccounted seconds. The two of them narrowing their eyes as their fingers began to twitch on the wrappings of their swords. Their feet began to arch forward once more, ready to spring at each other once more.

"Saito-san," one of the other Wolves suddenly interrupted the duel, "it's time."

"We'll finish this some other day then, Kensai," Saito said as he returned his sword to it's case.

"Your life's been spared for now," Kensai glared as she tied the ribbon back into my hair.

The Wolves returned to the shadows soon after, my men and I just stood there as we watched them return to the wilderness of this forest called Kyoto. We returned to the inn soon after, the day was still not over, it was eleven o'clock when we had returned, there was still one hour left for my birthday. I reported the events that had transpired to Katsura, it seems that no one has killed Kondou that night, the bastard got lucky. I was rather tired after the beating I had received from Saito, I was practically crawling to my room. My stab was already wrapped in bandages luckily, my men had treated it after my fight. I swung the door open, and there was Kenshin sitting by the balcony.

"Hello, Mina," Kenshin greeted me with his usual smile.

"Hi, Kenshin," I took my seat at the table.

"Tough night, huh?" he asked.

"Hai," I answered, my head collapsing on the table.

"There's still one hour left before our birthday's over," Kenshin reminded me.

"I know," I grumbled, my face still planted on the oak surface.

"Mina, come over here, please," Kenshin suddenly ordered.

It was rather hard to pry myself off the table, I must've used up all my energy during my fight. He wore his usual smile as I approached him, his lavender eyes gazing directly into mine as I stood before him.

"Sit down," he patted the space next to him.

I lowered my knees and let the rest of my body following, turning my back to him so he couldn't see the fatigue on my face. I was still sweating when I sat, I had to use my entire palm to seal away the perspiration. The next thing I knew, I felt another body pressed against mine from the back, arms wrapping me to it's owner's chest, and his forehead resting against the back of mine.

"Kenshin...," I placed my hand on his as it rested under my belly, but above my wound.

"My little sister," Kenshin whispered into my ear, "it's been so long since I've actually had anyone really care about my birthday. When I still lived with my master, he would never give me a gift, not even a simple 'happy birthday'. Katsura-dono gave me a gift, but there's nothing behind it, not a real sign of care. You, however, you care... You're always there for me, Mina, you care about how my day was, if I got injured, you care about what happens to me. I want to thank you for that."

"I can say the same about you," I said as I slid my neck to the side, allowing his cheek to touch mine, "you're the only one who truly cares for me, who cares about my problems, the lives I've torn apart, you care for everything I do. I'm glad I met you, Kenshin, if fate had not interfered in my life, I might have never met you."

"Don't say that," Kenshin continued, "even if we had never met, I would search the entire world just to find you."

"Arigatou, Kenshin," I nuzzled my cheek against his, "arigatou."

The two of us sat there for the rest of the day, I was cradled in his arms the entire time. We rocked back and forth as our eyes began to shut, little by little. The last thing I knew, I was still in his arms, still being rocked, even after he had fallen asleep. He needed me, just as I needed him, but... does he...still need me to this day?

Chapter 18 Liner Notes

  
  


The Forty-Seven Ronin- One of the most popular legends in Japan, the Forty-Seven Ronin is a tale about forty-seven samurai who are left masterless when the master is killed by a corrupt member of the Shogunate. The samurai left their families and village to train themselves for their revenge. When they were finally prepared, they attacked and killed their master's murderer, but turned themselves in to the Shogunate after. In front of their master's grave, all forty-seven samurai committed sepuku (honorable suicide). This story is said to be the embodiment of the true samurai spirit and has been a favorite tale in Japan for many generations. 

  
  


A little bit about Kondou Isami- Kondou was the leader of the Shinsengumi during the Revolution. He, Okita Soushi, and one other person (I'm sorry, I forgot their name) created the Shinsengumi in order to suppress rebel factions in Kyoto by acting as the police. Anyone they suspected of being a rebel, they would ask for their ID. If their ID wasn't good enough, the person was to be executed on the spot. Before Kondou left for Kyoto, his wife had bore his daughter, Tamako (those who've read the 'Twin Dragon Arc' remember who Tamako is, right?). On 1868, Kondou was captured and executed by the newly formed Meiji Government, no one really knows what happened to his family. In my fics, Kondou wields the legendary Masamune (I'll get into details about that in a much later chapter) and his fighting style is unique. It uses regular sword attacks followed by sword spirit strikes after the initial swing (I'll get much more into detail about this technique later when the time is right).

  
  


(Next time: "Day after day she gets pulled even further into her brother's world, her hands are as tainted as his, no, they're tainted even more. The aroma of blood no longer haunts her, the crashing of steel and bone are mere lullabies to her now. I worry for her, I worry about the creature that chases after her, slowly catching up with her with each step she takes. The barrier that keeps the beast has been broken, and now I must fend off the thing that chases my love..." -Azumi Shion)

  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was it? Why not leave me a review, but not a flame please. If you want the lemon, read the uncut version, and no, it's not really explicit. Anyway, I'd like to thank two people as I usually do, Emiri-chan, thanks for returning to reading this, and Crystal, thanks for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy this fic as much as how I enjoy your's. Well, anyway, I guess that's it then, later people!


	21. Bloody Summer UNCUT

Author's Note: This is the uncut version of chapter 18, it contains a small lemon with Kenshin and Mina in the beginning. There's a bit of comedy in this chapter as well, to lighten the dark mood a little bit. Anyway, enough talk, let's get on with the show!

  
  


Chapter 18: Bloody Summer

  
  


Not much happened after the Kodomo-no-Hi incident, Kenshin and I simply followed orders as we usually did, going into battle nearly everyday. I guess the only real important things were that Tetsu was transferred to the Satsuma Clan about a month ago to make up for their losing numbers. Also, Shion had returned to the Satsuma Clan after about two months of absence, I was glad when she finally left, I didn't even say good-bye to her. I cringe when I think about what she might have done if I said good-bye, it just wasn't right, even if I considered her a friend and all. 

My theory about the ribbon worked on each occasion I tried it, I would have to simply remove it to have Kensai take control and have her put the ribbon back on to have me revert back to normal. Although I did take off my ribbon when I took a bath or slept, but she never took over when I did those things.

Anyway, let me get back to the story. This day that I speak of now was a very special day for Kenshin and I. The date of my story is now June 28, 1866, the day Kenshin and I were born. It must be fate that the two of us were born on the same day, although two years apart. We had no assignments that evening, we were free to stay at the inn as the others went out. I was in my room most of the time, I'm not sure where Kenshin went. It was about the middle of the night when he called for me, I was reading a book called 'The Forty Seven Ronin'. I went out to the balcony of our room to find Kenshin outside in the yard.

"Kenshin, what is it?" I called to him. "If you wanted to speak with me, you could've just come into our room."

"Mina, I need to speak with you about something," Kenshin told me, "please come down, it's very important."

"Come down?" I asked. "Why don't you just..."

"I don't want anyone to hear what I have to say to you," Kenshin interrupted, "please..."

"All right, Kenshin," I called, "I'm coming down."

"What could he want to tell me?" I thought to myself as I hurried down the steps to the yard.

I went to the yard, yet there was no one to be found. All that stood there were the flowers the maids had arranged and the laundry hanging on the clothes line. My head turned in all directions of the yard, still no sign of my brother anywhere.

"Mina...," my name suddenly flew into my ears.

"Kenshin!" I jumped, surprised by his sudden entrance. "Wha...what is it you wanted to tell me?" I stuttered.

"I love you," he suddenly blurted.

"Kenshin, are you serious?" I asked as my heart tried to escape my chest.

"Do you not love me?" he asked, his body beginning to inch toward mine.

"It's not that," I answered as he took another step forward, his body touching mine now, "it's just that..."

"Sh," he placed his finger on my lips.

"Oh Kenshin...," I wrapped my arms around him, burying my head on his chest.

Suddenly I felt something pressing against my head, making it's way downward. It was his lips, plucking at my forehead, making it's way down to the bridge of my nose. My chin slowly rose up with each kiss, the kisses now above my lips as my chin pointed directly at the ground. And within a second later, his lips were now pressed against my own. I could feel his tongue mingling with mine, our lips wrestling with one another, trying to get on top of the other, and my arms moving from his back to his shoulders. I suddenly felt myself falling backward, pulling Kenshin with me, our lips continuing their bickering as I pressed my back against the grass. His lips began to pull away, and despite how hard mine fought, I could not bring them back. 

I looked forward to see the stars illuminating the smile on Kenshin's face. It was different from the way he usually smiled, I don't know how to explain it, but it just felt different as I stared into his visage. The visage began to inch closer again, this time being pulled toward my ear. His body was now pressed against mine, his face was on the same level as my own, a few centimeters to the left.

"You're very beautiful," he whispered into my ear, gently tugging at the lobe after.

"Kenshin...," his name barely escaped my lips.

At the same time, his hand began to make crawl down my shoulder, crawling even further, venturing into the gap in my kimono, and then grabbing my breast. His fingers wrapped around it ever so gently, slipping upward as they pulled themselves together at it's peak. I can't describe the feeling, the pleasure it gave me.

"Mina...," Kenshin began to pull away from my ear.

"Don't stop now," I told him as he began to inch away.

His nose began to nuzzle along the gap of my kimono, his mouth pulled the left half to the side, finding it's place on the other nub, his lips pressed against it, slowly tugging it upward.

"Kenshin," my face began to burn, his free hand now venturing further toward my leg. "You mustn't," I tried to tell him, but only more moans escaped my mouth.

His fingers slowly tugged at the knot on my belt, freeing it from my kimono. Their work was still not yet done, making their way toward my navel, but it continued passed it, reaching for something lower.

"Not there, Kenshin, not there," I tried to stop him, although he knew how much I wanted it so badly.

His body inched closer to mine, his left hand leaving it's work, turning to his hamaka and began to pull it away.

"Kenshin, no...," I could feel my face beginning to burn further, "Kenshin..."

"Mina," Kenshin called, "Mina," the level of his voice rose, "Mina!"

"Oro?" I soon myself staring into the ceiling.

"Good morning," Kenshin greeted me, his usual smile on his face, "it's a fine day, that it is."

"Oh, good morning, Kenshin," I yawned.

"Dammit, just a dream!" I mentally kicked myself after. "Of all the times he had to wake me, he chose now!"

"Come on," Kenshin tugged my blanket away from my futon, "get up."

"All right," I began to push myself off the floor.

"I was almost there too," I continued to groan inside, "dammit! Don't worry, Mina, today's his and your birthday, you might have a chance."

The dining room was as busy as it always was when I came down, and our usual meal too, nothing special. I was really tired of having pork and rice, that was what all our meals pretty much were, with the occasional miso soup, but even that tasted like crap now. My thoughts couldn't help but linger back to my dream the entire time I ate, wasn't a good idea that I did that though, because the next thing I knew, I'm being yelled at by the guys at the other side of the hall.

"Hey, pass the rice already, Kensai!" one of the soldier's yelling interrupted my fantasy.

"Oh, gomen," I quickly snapped back into reality, passing the bowl of rice to Kenshin after.

"Good day, everyone," Katsura entered the dining hall after, "I hope you have all slept well."

"I sure did, but someone just had to wake me up!" I grumbled.

"Did you say something, Mina-kun?" Katsura asked after my grumbling.

"No, nothing, Katsura-dono," I quickly answered.

"All right then, let's get to the point," Katsura took his usual seat in the hall. "Tonight's assignment is a rather simple one. Our spies have gotten word that the Shinsengumi's leader, Kondou Isami, will be patrolling Kyoto tonight along with the usual first, second, and third squads. Our objective for tonight is to kill Kondou at any cost, this is an extremely rare event and this could be the key to the Shinsengumi's fall."

"You call that simple?" I thought sarcastically. "You know that guy's going to have a million bodyguards or something if he's that important."

"He will patrol Kyoto around ten this evening, I wish you all luck," Katsura ended his speech, leaving the hall soon after.

"Can't he give us a break for once?" I sighed after Katsura had left.

"I understand how you feel, Mina, that I do," Kenshin tried to console me, "but this could very well change the tide for the Ishin Shishi, that it can."

"You're probably right," I took my empty plate up and began to leave the room.

"Oh, and Mina," Kenshin suddenly stopped me. "Happy Birthday, Sister."

"Arigatou," I bowed, "and happy birthday to you."

Well, at least he remembered my birthday, that kind of made up for him ruining my dream earlier. Actually, not really, my birthday shouldn't be hard for him to remember, it's on the same day as his. Still, it was rather nice that he told me.

I returned to my room shortly, getting back to my book, 'The Forty Seven Ronin', sitting against the wall as I engulfed myself into the fictitious world. The world slowly began to pull me in, or was it that I was falling asleep again, I'm not sure, but then Kenshin's voice interrupted me.

"Mina!" Kenshin called from the yard.

I turned to the balcony for a second, and then returned to my book. He called my name once more, this time his voice pulling me towards him. I set the pages flat against the ground as I made my way to the balcony.

"What is it, Kenshin?" I asked.

"Come down, Mina," Kenshin called, "there's something I have to discuss with you."

"Is this a dream?" I asked myself, pinching the skin on my side after. "Nope, not a dream, could it be that..."

"I'm coming down!" I called back, wasting little time to the yard.

Now I would normally almost trip over each step on the stairs when I was excited about something, but this time I actually tripped. As soon as my toes touched the air before the first step, I knew I was in trouble. There I went, tumbling on each step, my back or my chest would hit the step before I the rest of my body followed. It wasn't very long when I found my face lying against the ground on the first floor.

"Ororororororo...," I saw the stars suddenly dancing around me.

Ignoring the stars and the pain now passing through my entire body, I continued toward the yard, putting on the best smile I could. There he was, standing there in the middle of the yard, his arms folded behind his back, and smiling at me the exact same way he was during my dream.

"You wanted to speak with me, Kenshin?" my cheeks suddenly began to burn.

"Ta da!" Kenshin's arms suddenly sprang forward, along with an odd shaped piece of glass.

"What is this?" I asked taking the glass into my hands, disappointed at the outcome of the events.

"It's a gift from Katsura-dono," Kenshin answered, "it's some kind of foreign drink called 'red wine'."

"That's all you wanted to discuss with me?" I asked, the inside of me just wanting to tear Kenshin's limbs out.

"Well I would've gone upstairs to our room if you wanted me to but you suddenly darted out of the room after I called you," Kenshin explained.

"Dammit, I knew it was too good to be true!" I mentally kicked myself for the second time that day.

"Well, shall we try it out?" Kenshin asked as he tore the cork away from the bottle.

"I guess," I shrugged.

Kenshin handed me a glass and began to pour the liquid in. There was something about this drink, was it the color, or was it the smell? I don't know, either way, I knew I wasn't going to like the drink.

"Aren't you going to drink it?" Kenshin asked as he poured himself a glass.

"Huh?" I snapped back into reality, "yeah." I took the contents into my mouth.

As soon as it touched my lips, I quickly spat out the liquid. It was horrible, so bitter and... ugh, I can't really describe the taste. I turned toward the alcoholic fluid as it began to seep into the ground. It's image reminded me of something, something that was now common to me on the battlefield; blood.

"You don't like it?" Kenshin asked after my reaction.

"No!" I wiped away the remaining contents from my lips.

"Me neither," Kenshin poured the rest of his glass to the ground.

I poured the remaining contents to the ground, I could still taste the foul liquid as it splattered into the grass. Red wine, I would never like to drink that stuff again, however, I knew I would see it's ravishing color again very soon.

The rest of the day nothing else really went on, it sure as heck didn't feel like my birthday, maybe due to the fact that no one was celebrating the occasion. It didn't matter anyway, soldiers have more important things to worry about than days in which people were born. 

When night fell, it was time to strike. Kenshin and I were to lead our own squads again, meaning we were to split up into different parts of the city. My men and I scouted the east side of the city, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, just the usual Wolf patrolling here and there, nothing we couldn't handle. We patrolled for hours, there didn't seem to be any sign of Kondou Isami anywhere. It was about two in the morning when we were about to give up, but then my men and I turned one particular corner. Peaking from it's side, there was a pack of dogs we had never seen before, none of the faces were familiar to any of my men or I. They all seemed to be looking toward one particular wolf. He had a rather wide face and build, it was obvious this man had worked out a lot, his coat was also a bit different from the others, it was still sky blue, but the contents that were inside the coat were different. It was some form of metal, jet black, it seemed to cover his entire body. I counted thirteen men, nothing my squad and I couldn't handle, I was sure I could take out all those men by myself. I didn't want to devise a plan, I felt like I didn't need to, so I blindly rushed in, my men trying so desperately to catch up with my god-like speed. 

The first Wolf that turned his skull was the first to fall before the rest of his pack. With my sheath pointed outward, I freed it's contents with a swing to the east. The Wolf fell quickly, his fall softened by a pool of his own blood. The rest of my men followed after, striking at whatever Wolf came their way. I turned to my side to find another one of the sky blue coats flying in my direction, his arms above his head so that his blade can reflect the moon's glow. I knew the drill for attacks like this, a simple plunge to the mid-section did the trick. Of course, that still didn't kill him, I wanted to make short work of him so pulled my blade toward his skull, splitting it and his neck as I extracted the blade. I ignored the splash of crimson that came after, instead turning to my next opponent who had already taken the initiative in this fight by using the pack's favorite attack, a parallel stab. I dodged the attack with a simple step to the side, planting my blade across the back of the Wolf's neck, pushing it forward with all my strength until his head rolled of his neck. I allowed my self to bathe in the scarlet spring for moment, watching the Alpha Dog fight several of my men. The Dog struck first, plunging his sword into one of my men, but what followed after was a shock. Wind had somehow burst through my soldier's wound, striking another one of my men down as if he were struck with the same attack. The remaining soldier went for an overhead attack as the Dog readied his blade once more. The Dog missed his swing, my soldier jumping to the side at the last moment, but again, wind flew from the blade's direction, a fountain of blood spraying from my soldier's chest suddenly. What the hell was all of this?!

"You there," the Dog turned to my attention after, "are you in charge of these men?"

"I am," I took a step toward the Dog, "my name is Himura Mina, that it is, also known as the Hitokiri Kensai."

"Hitokiri Kensai," the Dog grinned for a second, "the sister of the infamous Battousai. Then you must know who I am then."

"Kondou Isami," I tightened the grip on my sword, "in the name of the Ishin Shishi, I will..."

"Reinforcements!" one of my men suddenly called.

"Shit!" I bit my lip as I turned to the east.

"This battle will be postponed for now," Kondou slid his blade back into it's case.

"Kondou, are you running away?!" I yelled at the man as he turned his back toward me.

Before I could get a response, I suddenly found myself and the remainder of my soldiers surrounded by this new pack. I could see him between the gap of two Wolves, Kondou turning his back on me, walking away as if nothing had happened. I wanted to jump over these dogs that surrounded us and chase after the man, but I couldn't risk losing the rest of my soldiers.

"Himura-san, what do we do?" one of men asked.

"Himura," one Wolf suddenly caught my eye as he said my name, "I remember you," each member of the pack took a step back, making way for the narrow-eyed Wolf.

"Saito Hajime," I immediately recognized the man.

"How long has it been?" he asked, slipping his steel fang from it's sheath, "Three months, half a year?"

"Why does it matter?" my eyes narrowed, my pupils tracing each step he made.

"Stand down men," Saito suddenly ordered his men.

"What are you up to?" I asked the Wolf.

"A rematch," he answered, taking his sword into his left hand, his right trapping the tip between his thumb and index finger.

"You stand down as well," I ordered my men.

This wasn't good, the first time I had fought Saito I would've lost if the Ishin Shishi soldiers hadn't shown up in time. Just by looking into his narrow eyes, I knew Saito had improved since the last time I fought him. I had improved too, but I wasn't sure if my skills were now on the same level as his. No one was going to save me this time, I had to fight this one on my own, and I knew it.

He struck first, the blade piercing the wind as it continued to lay in his hand. His right hand quickly let go a step after, the blade pushing toward me as he twisted his back to the left. I struck in the opposite direction, catching the blade and locking us both in place. His next move wasn't anticipated though, a simple push with his shoulder using all of his weight had me pushed against the nearest wall. My back arched into the new crater formed in the building, my legs sinking to the floor, but there was no way I was going to go down that easy. My head quickly sprang up, another Gatoutsu before me, I had to counter this one. At the last moment, I pushed all my weight into the ground with my feet, springing myself up into the heavens.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Tsui-Sen!" I plummeted back to the ground, my sword leading the path of my fall.

"Is that all you got?!" Saito spat, switching the path of his sword in an instant, the bottom end of the hilt now parallel to the ground. "Gatoutsu Third Style!" he screamed as he suddenly darted toward me.

"An airborne Gatoutsu?!" I was shocked by his sudden change in attack.

I felt the cold steel etch itself just below my belly, it's point bursting through my back a second later. Fluid began to jump out of my throat, escaping the crack of my lips. The river ran down my chin as my teeth tried to seal the remaining substance, only to have it leak through the gaps between each tooth. Another piece of steel was now stretched across my belly, this one supporting my weight instead of slitting my flesh.

"Amazing, you avoided being stabbed," Saito said as my sword hovered my body as it rested on the guard of Saito's sword. "However," the blade suddenly twisted, his arm moving in the same direction, tossing me against another wall.

This time my entire body fell through the splintered wall, my legs dangling at it's entrance and my head resting on top of a piece of broken lumber.

"It's the end for me," I coughed, "but...," my fingers began to inch toward my ribbon.

Slowly they took hold of the silky material, pulling one end ever so gently. The material began to slide away from my hair, making it's way into my hand. I placed it inside the pocket of kimono's sleeve as a I pushed my blade into the ground outside, pulling at it after to regain my balance. I shut my eyes for a mere second, and before I could do anything, they opened once more without my input.

"That was pretty clever," Kensai spoke, "I never expected a stab to be so versatile, but now," Kensai slid my katana back into it's scabbard, "it's useless against me."

"You boast," Saito spat, "if you can recall, you haven't even deflected a single Gatoutsu. And now," his blade took it's place once more, "this will be the end!"

Again, the sword lead his path, the tip aimed toward my skull. Kensai pulled by blade outward at the last moment, holding the steel slab in place for one second. That was all the time she needed to strike, swinging my sheath outward and striking at Saito's ribs, it was his turn to fall through the whole in the wall.

"The Gatoutsu is a very predictable attack," Kensai spoke as she returned my sword into it's sheath again, "a simple lunge that can easily change direction or into a ram attack. Saito, I've seen this attack three times already, and I can easily find one or two ways around it! Now get up," Kensai spat, "this fight has only gotten started."

"That was only a test," Saito spoke as he pressed his hand against the breaking lumber, returning to his feet, "now I'll attack with the true Gatoutsu!" Saito said as he rose his sword above his head, the inner curve pointed toward his skull, right hand still supporting the tip.

"Pathetic," Kensai said.

Again, Saito had taken the initiative, his sword again leading the path of his attack. Kensai sprang forward in the next instant, swinging my blade at the very moment Saito pushed all his weight into his sword. Nothing but a simple clang when the two metals struck, Saito and Kensai remained in place for a few seconds, probably waiting for the other to attack. They turned back to each other a second later, returning their blades to their previous positions. They sprang forward again, Saito again striking first, Kensai striking a second later. Saito sprang his blade forward in the same manner, but Kensai had anticipated this. She swung with her left instead of her right, the oak case striking against his ribs just as his body turned in that very direction. Kensai smiled as she glided passed the Wolf, his jaw being dragged to the ground as they passed each other by. Kensai flew to the other end of the arena, her sword ready to be drawn once more.

"Well played," Saito coughed, "but...," he readied his blade once more.

The two of them stood there again for another unaccounted seconds. The two of them narrowing their eyes as their fingers began to twitch on the wrappings of their swords. Their feet began to arch forward once more, ready to spring at each other once more.

"Saito-san," one of the other Wolves suddenly interrupted the duel, "it's time."

"We'll finish this some other day then, Kensai," Saito said as he returned his sword to it's case.

"Your life's been spared for now," Kensai glared as she tied the ribbon back into my hair.

The Wolves returned to the shadows soon after, my men and I just stood there as we watched them return to the wilderness of this forest called Kyoto. We returned to the inn soon after, the day was still not over, it was eleven o'clock when we had returned, there was still one hour left for my birthday. I reported the events that had transpired to Katsura, it seems that no one has killed Kondou that night, the bastard got lucky. I was rather tired after the beating I had received from Saito, I was practically crawling to my room. My stab was already wrapped in bandages luckily, my men had treated it after my fight. I swung the door open, and there was Kenshin sitting by the balcony.

"Hello, Mina," Kenshin greeted me with his usual smile.

"Hi, Kenshin," I took my seat at the table.

"Tough night, huh?" he asked.

"Hai," I answered, my head collapsing on the table.

"There's still one hour left before our birthday's over," Kenshin reminded me.

"I know," I grumbled, my face still planted on the oak surface.

"Mina, come over here, please," Kenshin suddenly ordered.

It was rather hard to pry myself off the table, I must've used up all my energy during my fight. He wore his usual smile as I approached him, his lavender eyes gazing directly into mine as I stood before him.

"Sit down," he patted the space next to him.

I lowered my knees and let the rest of my body following, turning my back to him so he couldn't see the fatigue on my face. I was still sweating when I sat, I had to use my entire palm to seal away the perspiration. The next thing I knew, I felt another body pressed against mine from the back, arms wrapping me to it's owner's chest, and his forehead resting against the back of mine.

"Kenshin...," I placed my hand on his as it rested under my belly, but above my wound.

"My little sister," Kenshin whispered into my ear, "it's been so long since I've actually had anyone really care about my birthday. When I still lived with my master, he would never give me a gift, not even a simple 'happy birthday'. Katsura-dono gave me a gift, but there's nothing behind it, not a real sign of care. You, however, you care... You're always there for me, Mina, you care about how my day was, if I got injured, you care about what happens to me. I want to thank you for that."

"I can say the same about you," I said as I slid my neck to the side, allowing his cheek to touch mine, "you're the only one who truly cares for me, who cares about my problems, the lives I've torn apart, you care for everything I do. I'm glad I met you, Kenshin, if fate had not interfered in my life, I might have never met you."

"Don't say that," Kenshin continued, "even if we had never met, I would search the entire world just to find you."

"Arigatou, Kenshin," I nuzzled my cheek against his, "arigatou."

The two of us sat there for the rest of the day, I was cradled in his arms the entire time. We rocked back and forth as our eyes began to shut, little by little. The last thing I knew, I was still in his arms, still being rocked, even after he had fallen asleep. He needed me, just as I needed him, but... does he...still need me to this day?

Chapter 18 Liner Notes

  
  


The Forty-Seven Ronin- One of the most popular legends in Japan, the Forty-Seven Ronin is a tale about forty-seven samurai who are left masterless when the master is killed by a corrupt member of the Shogunate. The samurai left their families and village to train themselves for their revenge. When they were finally prepared, they attacked and killed their master's murderer, but turned themselves in to the Shogunate after. In front of their master's grave, all forty-seven samurai committed sepuku (honorable suicide). This story is said to be the embodiment of the true samurai spirit and has been a favorite tale in Japan for many generations. 

  
  


A little bit about Kondou Isami- Kondou was the leader of the Shinsengumi during the Revolution. He, Okita Soushi, and one other person (I'm sorry, I forgot their name) created the Shinsengumi in order to suppress rebel factions in Kyoto by acting as the police. Anyone they suspected of being a rebel, they would ask for their ID. If their ID wasn't good enough, the person was to be executed on the spot. Before Kondou left for Kyoto, his wife had bore his daughter, Tamako (those who've read the 'Twin Dragon Arc' remember who Tamako is, right?). On 1868, Kondou was captured and executed by the newly formed Meiji Government, no one really knows what happened to his family. In my fics, Kondou wields the legendary Masamune (I'll get into details about that in a much later chapter) and his fighting style is unique. It uses regular sword attacks followed by sword spirit strikes after the initial swing (I'll get much more into detail about this technique later when the time is right).

  
  


(Next time: "Day after day she gets pulled even further into her brother's world, her hands are as tainted as his, no, they're tainted even more. The aroma of blood no longer haunts her, the crashing of steel and bone are mere lullabies to her now. I worry for her, I worry about the creature that chases after her, slowly catching up with her with each step she takes. The barrier that keeps the beast has been broken, and now I must fend off the thing that chases my love..." -Azumi Shion)

  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was it? I felt kinda awkward when I did Mina's little fantasy, and I'm gonna feel even more weird when I write the actual lemon chapter in "Crimson String Book III: End of the Line". So yeah, leave me a review, and give some suggestions on how to do lemons if you can, but don't bad mouth way of doing this chapter, just tell me what I need to improve on. Unfortunately, this will probably be the only lemon in the rest of this book (sorry Crystal, I hope this doesn't upset you), book II might have one, but book III will definitely have one near the end. As a result, I'm taking out the attempted rape scene that has Mina as the victim later on. Before I forget, I'd like to thank Crystal for reviewing nearly every chapter and for writing great fics, and Emiri-chan for returning to reading this fic, I hope none of the later content will scare you away again. Well I guess that's it, leave me a review but not a flame and I'll see you people later.


	22. Rematch with Shion

Author's Note: As you can clearly read from the chapter's title, this chapter has the rematch between Mina and her arch rival, Shion. In other news, I guess I should tell you readers ahead of time that I'll be updating this fic once a week from now on as I have stuff from school to deal with, not to mention other stories I'm writing. I'll talk about those later, but for now, let's just get to the story.

  
  


Chapter 19: Nullified; Rematch with Shion

  
  


The very next day, I was greeted by the warmth of Kenshin's arms. They were still wrapped around me, his cheek nestled against mine, his body pressed against my back, and his palm resting over my hand. I smiled as soon as I realized he was still with me, my cheek nuzzling against his scar.

"Hm...," Kenshin began to awaken. "Oro..., oh, good morning, Mina," Kenshin greeted me with a yawn.

"Good morning, Kenshin," I greeted him back with another nuzzle.

"Well, we should get up now, that we should," Kenshin began to move to his feet.

"Wait, Kenshin," I tugged on his sleeve, pulling him back to his previous spot, "just a little longer," my head made it's way to his shoulder.

"Okay," Kenshin nodded, petting my hair as pressed his lips against my temple.

How much I wanted time to just freeze at that moment. This was one of those rare moments we would just sit there, a moment in which nothing could interrupt us, a moment that I could always reflect on whenever I was feeling blue. I felt as if I could melt as he held me in his arms, my face was burning over the simple fact that he was holding me. I began to sink into another world of slumber, but then someone just had to interrupt it.

"Battousai, Kensai," a knock on the door suddenly interrupted his embrace, "Katsura-sama summons you."

"Hai," Kenshin called.

"Dammit," I cursed under my breath, "whenever I try to get close to Kenshin, something always has to interrupt. Fate, why must you always intervene with every moment I have with him?"

"Mina, let's get going," I suddenly snapped out of my conversation with myself, finding Kenshin on the other side of the room.

"Oh... coming, Brother," I simply smiled.

Duty had called, I had no choice but to set aside my feelings. Just as I always did whenever we had a mission of some sort, I wiped away the smile on my face, straightening the curve on my lips into a straight line and arching my eyebrows. I had stopped wondering what Katsura had wanted whenever he called Kenshin and I, it was always for the same reason. The reason was always an assignment, a very dangerous one at that. Most missions he gave us was always something suicidal such as hold off the Shinsengumi with a small number of men, or assassinate this key person of whatever clan. Of course, the assassinations were a rare thing since Katsura had Shishio at his disposal. I'm pretty sure that man always got the job done, and in a gruesome manner I might add.

"Kenshin-kun, Mina-kun, I'm glad you came," Katsura greeted us as we took our usual seats in the room.

"What is our assignment this time, Katsura-dono?" Kenshin asked, knowing I always like having Katsura get to the point.

"I only need one of you for this assignment," Katsura answered, "and to be honest, I would like Mina-kun to take this one. Kenshin-kun, you will take the assignment if your sister refuses to partake in it."

"Hai," Kenshin nodded.

"May I ask what the assignment is, Katsura-dono?" I asked, raising my hand as I did so.

"I have a meeting with Saigo-san this evening in the Satsuma Camp," Katsura informed me, "the two of us will discuss the future of the Ishin Shishi. Mina-kun, I would like you to be my guard during the ordeal, that is, if you will agree to my request."

"Katsura-dono, I will lend you my skills for the meeting," I answered without a moment of thinking.

"Arigatou," he thanked me with a bow, "then I shall summon you later when it is time for us to leave."

"Hai," I bowed before making my way out of the room.

I'm not sure why I agreed to accompany Katsura to that meeting, was it because I didn't want to stay here and have to patrol Kyoto, or was it because Kensai had something else in mind. Shion, I know that voluptuous woman had captured her eye, I knew Kensai's dirty mind as if they were my own. It just sickens me to even dig into her mind, nothing good ever came out of it. Violence and sex, that was all she ever thought about, and God it just pisses me off that we share the same body.

"Are you sure you want to act as Katsura-dono's bodyguard tonight?" Kenshin asked as we left the room.

"What's wrong with that?" I continued treading down the hall, my eyes averted ahead of me instead of Kenshin.

It hurts me when I speak to him in my 'serious' mode, I always tend to not look him in the eye and have some kind of coldness in my voice, but then again, that's the same way he is when he's in his 'serious' mode, so I guess that makes us even, that it does.

"Being a bodyguard is much different than fighting in the front lines," Kenshin informed me, "you're protecting a life, a very important one at that, one that can very well change the course of history, that it can."

"I'm well aware of that," I said as my pacing began to speed up.

"Unlike the front lines you can't afford to fail," Kenshin called as I made my way upstairs.

"I know," I called to him, waving the back of my hand, "I know."

As soon as I reached my room, I knew that Kensai had something to say.

"So we'll see Shion again, huh?" she asked. "It's been a while since our little encounter."

"Kensai, don't remind me," I spat at her, plopping myself at the table, "and I'm the one that's going to see her, not you."

"We share the same body, don't we," Kensai asked as I pulled out my tobacco pipe, "I can see everything you see, just as you can see everything I can see."

"You're thinking nasty things again I see," the thoughts in her wretched mind entered my own as I lit the pipe. "Are there ever times when you don't think about sex or violence?" I sighed as I inhaled the contents of the tube. "Never mind," I answered my own question, looking into her mind for a second, "I shouldn't have asked, that I shouldn't."

"Shouldn't you get dressed for the occasion?" Kensai suddenly changed the subject.

"What do you mean?" I asked, taking another puff of tobacco. "You want to impress Shion, don't you?" I thought I realized her intention.

"I didn't see it like that, but that's a thought," I could picture Kensai giving me her sinister smirk, "but no, that's not it. The top leaders of the Ishin Shishi are probably going to be at this meeting, I bet they're all going to be dressed up all nice while you're dressed in that blood-soaked kimono and hamaka."

"I guess you got a point there," I sighed as I took my last puff of the day.

I didn't want to wear anything too fancy for the meeting, if I were to dress up as nice as I did during Kodomo-no-Hi incident, I wouldn't be able to execute most of my attacks without ripping some part of my kimono. Sure the newly bared skin might distract the attackers (what perverts men are), but that means I would probably have to throw away the garment after. I guess there was only one other outfit I could wear that wasn't too fancy and that I didn't mind ripping, it was a light blue kimono with a splash of lavender on the sleeves and bottom that came with a navy blue belt that could be tied as a ribbon in the back. I didn't really like the outfit to be honest, it made me look like one of those housewives, all I needed to get the entire look was to tie my hair into a bun. I think I got this outfit from one of the maids when I ripped my uniform after a mission and I had no clean kimonos to wear, I'm pretty sure all the men were gawking at me when I had it on.

Not many people accompanied Katsura and I when we went to the Satsuma Camp, probably only fifteen people came with us altogether. All of them were also dressed in semi-formal clothing, though they weren't very well groomed, most of them didn't even shave for the occasion. It was somewhat late when we arrived, the camp had changed somewhat since I was last here. The shacks that housed the troops were patched up a bit, not very well though. Large pieces of bark were patched over areas where holes once lay, the roofs were covered in masses of bamboo leaves to make up for missing tiles, and the training fields were as dry as ever, there was not a sight of green in the patch, the only apparent colors were black, gray, yellow, and brown. The commander's barracks was probably the best maintained structure in the entire camp, though it was still breaking down. The building's roof was made of dried grass, though it was stacked together perfectly, not one string of hay was sticking out, the walls were made of oak, but a large piece of bark was still found on this structure, the bark located on the east wall. The shoji doors to the interior would've been perfect if there wasn't a small puncture in the middle of the door on the left. It didn't matter how the place looked, a military camp is not supposed to look grandeur, all that matters is how it holds up during battle.

"Saigo-san, it's me," Katsura called for his comrade as he rapped his knuckles against the door.

"Please, come in," the door slid open to reveal a familiar face. "Oh it's you," the individual flashed me her mask of happiness.

"Shion," I simply nodded as I entered the room, my eyes never meeting her's as I spoke.

"I shall take you to Saigo-sama," Shion informed the two of us, taking the lead as we walked down the hall. "You look well, Mina-san," Shion suddenly spoke a few moments after a walking.

"Arigatou," I responded, my eyes still not meeting with her's.

It was rather crude I was acted toward her, but I couldn't bring myself to face her after that stunt she pulled on me the last time. Ick, I cringe at the thought of remembering that little event, and I cringe even more if Kensai was in control when that took place.

"Is something the matter?" Shion arched her face toward me, trying to look me in the eye.

"There is nothing that's the matter, that there isn't," I responded, turning my eyes elsewhere.

"You can discuss it with me," she tried to move in closer, this time a look of concern on her face.

"There is nothing to discuss," I responded once more, this time with a turn of my head.

Thankfully we reached the meeting room shortly before Shion could open her mouth again. Saigo was there, sitting in the far end of the room, his knees pressed against one of the rock-hard pillows soldiers used for sleeping. Shion took her place beside Saigo, setting her two blades beside her on the floor as she sat. I took my place on the pillow in front of Shion, my eyes shutting once I had sat down, still not wanting to make eye contact with her. Katsura took his place on the mat next to me, and soon, the meeting began. I had no intention of hearing what was being discussed, I had enough of listening to what Katsura has had to say because of all the mission briefings he'd go over nearly every day. My thoughts lay dormant during the majority of the time, returning to reality with the sound of a loud thump to the ground.

"Are you crazy, Saigo-san?!" was the first thing I heard after the thud.

"How is it crazy, Katsura-san?!" I opened my eyes to witness Saigo yelling at my leader. "Now is the time to move out of Kyoto and make our way to Edo!"

"That's suicide and you know it, Saigo!" Katsura spat. "We don't have enough men to do such a thing! If we can barely hold out against the Shinsengumi, what makes you think we can fight the entire Bakufu?!"

I turned to Shion for a moment during this entire ordeal, shutting my ears away from the bickering that had ensued between two great men who were now acting as mere children. She remained there with her eyes shut, fingers curled on the part of her kimono that clothed her legs, and above all else, unmoving. She was acting as a traditional woman as always, but that quickly came to a halt. The next thing I had known, Katsura had begun to draw his sword, and then Shion's eyes suddenly shot open, her hands quickly grabbing her long blade, her right hand quickly prying it out of it's oak case and holding it towards Katsura's throat in the next moment.

"Don't you dare draw your blade!" the hitokiri growled as her eyebrows arched.

"I'd turn that blade away if I were you," my fingers slowly wrapped around the scabbard of my katana.

"Mina-kun, you're only making things worse," were the only words that had escaped my leader's lips as he stood there frozen in fear.

"Well then, isn't this a great way to settle things," Saigo suddenly blurted. "How about it, Katsura, we have the woman decide with their swords? Of course, we won't have them kill each other, but nevertheless..."

"Agreed," Katsura suddenly volunteered my services without my input.

"But sir...," I tried to change his mind only to find myself jumping away from a steel blur that was hurled in my direction.

"You heard Saigo-sama, Mina-san," Shion said as she slid her shorter blade out of it's sheath, "the decision will be decided by our swords, so draw your blade!"

"Damn!" I cursed as I began to remove the steel slab.

Before I could draw my blade, Shion had already taken the initiative, jumping toward me with her left foot extended. I had no time to react, I soon found the force of her kick pressed against my abdomen, sending the rest of my body in the direction of the attack. My back hit against the shoji doors, causing the paper thin walls to break the moment the rest of my body followed through. I pushed myself back and into the outdoors using my sword as some kind of pole. Shion had followed soon after, this time her blades leading the way instead of her foot. I had to react at that moment, and though I could not cause any damage in the process, it was still a valuable tactic. My katana slid out of it's oak case within a split second, catching the other curved steels in the process. Shion and I began to press our blades forward with all our strength, and she was obviously overpowering me. However she did not see the true intention of why I was engaging her in that contest of strength. As we pushed, my left hand was sliding my sheath from my belt, and once it was fully unveiled, I swung it upward toward her skull, breaking the contest by knocking her to the ground.

"What's going on here?!" a crowd suddenly began to form around Shion and I.

"It's all right," Katsura called to the men, "let these two fight and don't interfere."

"What kind of leader are you?!" I wanted to yell, but the words just couldn't leave my mouth. "Don't you care about my well-being?!"

I turned my attention back to Shion at just the right moment, watching her fasten her two swords at the hilt to create her preferred weapon, the double-bladed naginata. She spun her twin-blades at me as she charged, the blade slicing the ground just as a windmill cutting a river. In that very instant she charged, I felt her ki, learning the next attack she would use. A spin turning into a stab, it was just as I predicted, but it was rather simple to evade with the god-like speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. In that very instant the spin had turned into a lunge, I had already leapt high into the air, my sword leading the way as I fell back to the earth.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Tsui-Sen!" I screamed as I brought my blade toward her skull.

"You've improved," Shion smirked for a second, but her figure suddenly vanished from the air.

My sword had sliced the ground instead of flesh, Shion had disappeared, no, she moved somewhere, but how. Wind began to whistle from above shortly after, and it was pretty obvious who it was.

"Akai Chi Ryu, Koukuukougeki!" Shion screamed, the longer blade of her naginata piercing the air as the tip made it's way toward my skull.

It was a surprise attack, I was barely able to leap out of the blade's path. I thought I could counter after her blade was still engraved into the ground, so I rushed in without thinking.

"Too slow, Mina-san," Shion grinned, a sparkle in her eyes as she spoke. "Akai Chi Ryu, Yama-No-Ten!"

The scales of the earth began to rise from the ground, flying in my direction as the blade rose from the floor. The speed the debris flew toward me was rather fast, but still not fast enough for me to evade. I jumped to the side, only to find another wave in my direction, this time, the shorter blade slitting the earth as the debris flew.

"Do-Ryu-Sen!" I struck the ground with my own blade, throwing my own set of debris against the oncoming onslaught.

'Impossible,' I thought to myself after the rocks had returned to the ground, 'she was able to evade the Ryu-Tsui-Sen at the last moment, and was able to counter at the same speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu's god-like speed. How is she...?'

"You're wondering how I was able to attack you with very same power you use, correct?" Shion suddenly broke my thoughts as if she were reading my mind. "Akai Chi Naginata Ryu and Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu are said to have come from the same schools. Don't think that your martial art is the only one that uses god-like speed. Let's not forget that there's even an art that surpasses god-like speed."

"Surpasses?!" the thought had crossed my mind for the very first time.

"The Shukuchi," Shion continued, "though I have yet to see it. Now let's not waste time on idle chatter," Shion readied her spear again, "let's put an end to this shortly, shall we?"

"You want to end this now huh?" I asked, lowering my sword. "If you say so, then...," my fingers began to crawl toward the restraint on my hair.

"I will put an end to this now!" Kensai roared as the ribbon came undone.

Shion was left unmoving by our change, she was as calm as ever as Kensai took up my sword. I knew which attack she was going to use, it was her favorite style. Sliding my sword back into it's case, arching my legs forward, it was the Battoujutsu, our best skill. Kensai wasn't going to kill her, nor did she have any intention to, after all, she was fixing her eyes on her chest, just as all men she walked passed did. Actually, now that I think about it, her large bust was a handicap, that's what Kensai must've seen other than admiring her form. Shion had sprung forward first, Kensai quickly followed. Shion was going in for a side swing from above, her blade slitting the throat of the wind as it was pulled toward the earth. Kensai had anticipated this, and her tactic quickly came into play. She thrust upward with my sword still sheathed, the outer curve of the case planting itself under her bust, halting her right arm above her right breast as they pushed against each other thanks to the support of the sheath.

"It ends now," Kensai quickly withdrew my katana from it's sheath, "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Kan-Sen!" Kensai spun behind Shion, the sheath letting go at the moment before the inner curve of my sword struck her neck.

Shion fell rather quickly, her face landing first in the dirt, but I'm sure that chest of her's cushioned her fall to an extent. Kensai stood there for a moments admiring her victory, fastening the ribbon back in my hair as she did so.

"Excellent, Mina-san," Katsura applauded after the battle.

The rapping of hands followed from the rest of the crowd that had gathered. My face began to flex a smile for a few seconds, but it quickly disappeared as I scratched the back of my neck, turning it into a blush instead. One clap began to catch my ear, it was coming from where Shion had fallen. She was already on her knees, her usual smile on her face as she applauded. It was rather nice to be the center of attention at that moment.

"Now will you go with what we had planned?" I turned back to Katsura who was now speaking with Saigo.

"Hai," he nodded.

Victory was mine, it's something I would be proud of for a while, not anymore though. I realized a few seconds later that the victory was Kensai's, not mine. The only way I won was by releasing the barrier that had separated us, allowing her to fight my own battle. I was merely her replacement during the victory ceremony. Well, it wasn't really a victory ceremony, it was just some time alone in the hot spring close by. It was too late at night to go back to Kyoto; Katsura, the men, and I had to stay for the night. No one had dared to peek into the spring as I bathed, probably scared that I would do the same thing to them what I had to Shion.

"If only Kenshin was here to see that," I remembered the first day I came to this camp, the first time I had fought Shion and lost. "Oro?" I heard splash coming from the other side of the spring.

"That was quite a show you pulled there," I soon found my back pressed against another's body, their fingers wrapped on my shoulders.

For some reason, had no intention of hitting the other person, or yell at them to get out of the spring, after all, she deserved to be in here just as much as I did.

"Arigatou, Shion," I said turning my face toward her for the first time since the incident.

"You didn't enjoy it, did you?" she suddenly asked, burrowing her face onto my neck.

"Enjoy what?" I asked.

"The little incident back at the Cho Shu inn a while back," she answered. "If you were embarrassed by that action I had put upon you, gomen."

"Why me, Shion?" I asked. "Why not fall for some guy...?"

"I'm no longer interested in men," Shion interrupted. "Ever since Keisuke died, I can never love another man," Shion continued, "please understand that."

"I understand, but...," I turned my entire self toward her, "I'm not interested in women, please understand that."

"I understand," Shion turned toward the steaming liquid.

"But, that doesn't mean I can't be your friend," I told her.

Yeah, I said it. I actually did want to be her friend, she was pretty reliable and trustworthy, not to mention she saved my life. I could get over the fact she was attracted to me, just as long as she didn't try anymore stunts like that kiss.

"That's good enough," Shion dove toward me, her arms quickly wrapping my neck.

I couldn't just leave her hanging, so I had to hug her back. No you perverts, we didn't do anything else, we just hugged each other for a few seconds. It was nice to finally have someone else I can talk with other than Kenshin, not to mention he was a guy so I couldn't talk about some things with him. Shion and I just sat in the spring for a few more minutes talking about random things, such as things that have been going on in our clans, humorous events that happened recently, and other things.

"Mina-san," Shion suddenly changed the subject.

"Please, Shion, drop the 'san'," I told her, "we're friends now, aren't we?"

"Oh, gomen, Mina," Shion corrected herself, "but there's something I have to ask. Was that you that had defeated me moments ago?"

"Of course," I put on my best fake laugh, "who else could it be?"

"Those eyes during the last moment of our fight," Shion continued and the smile began to melt from my face, "they were...terrifying. As bright as gold and as narrow as a wolf's, those weren't your eyes."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked, trying to hide my knowledge of Kensai.

"There is someone inside of you," Shion continued, "a person who is not really you, is that correct? I've seen her before, months ago when you fought with that Sanada ninja on the rooftop. I may have not been watching the entire fight, but from what I saw, that wasn't you during the final event. When you tore at that ninja's clothing, I knew something was wrong, you aren't the type of person to violate one when they're already down, and when I say violate I mean it in more ways than one. That helped give the impression you were interested in women, but after I had placed that kiss on you, it was apparent that you had no interest at all. Mina, is there something you're not telling me?"

"Of course not," I lied, "it's just that, well...there are times when...when I..."

'Oh man, now how am I going to get out of this one?' I asked myself in my head.

"Hm," my eyes fled elsewhere, finding my an escape from this conversation. "Say, Shion, how did you get that scar?" I noticed a rather dull mark between her breasts.

"This," Shion pointed at the tissue, "it was when you tried to fight Saito last year, remember?"

"Oh, well, sorry about that," I apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Shion responded with her usual smile.

"Well, I'm going to get going now," I smiled as I wrapped my towel over myself, "see ya!"

"That was a close one," I thought as I changed back into my kimono.

"Why won't you let her get to know me?" Kensai's voice asked in the back of my head.

"She wouldn't want to know you," I hissed.

"I think she does," Kensai chuckled.

"Nani?!" my hand suddenly began to shake. "My ribbon?!" I realized I had taken it off when I went into the spring.

As quickly as possible, I rummaged through all my clothing looking for the dark lavender material. It was inside my kimono, I pulled it out quickly and fastened it in place as fast as I could.

"Damn," I heard Kensai swear from the back of my head.

I had to keep Kensai away from Shion, I know what fate she already had in store for my friend. Unfortunately, the two were already destined to meet once more...

  
  


Chapter 19 Liner Notes

  
  


About Shion's martial art- The Akai Chi Naginata Ryu is the only other martial art that uses the same god-like speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, as well as the ability to read the user's opponent's moves (yeah, I know it's a lame concept, but Mina needs someone to keep her in check). The Koukuukougeki attack (roughly translated, it means 'air attack') is similar to the Ryu-Tsui-Sen, just that it uses a naginata instead of a sword. Shion's Yama-No-Ten (it translates to English as "Mountain of Heaven") is the equivalent to the Do-Ryu-Sen, only that Shion strikes the ground with both blades of her weapon, one following the other to create two projectile attacks.

  
  


(Next time: "Winter has fallen rather quickly, my thoughts begin to linger back to that day we met. The shadows begin to linger back into the picture rather slowly, the devil of the clan is ready to strike, her demons painting the powder white snow a grisly red..." -Himura Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: So how was it? Why don't you readers leave me a review, I could use the encouragement, but don't flame me. Anyway, as I said earlier, I'm working on other fics other than this one. This story is more than halfway done, but Mina's story will continue in 'Crimson String Book II: A Rurouni's Path', expect to see many new heroes and villains in that one. Other than that, I'm also working on two other stories. The first one I'm also working on is a side story to 'Crimson String' titled 'When Angels Lost Their Wings', it's also co-written by Crystal from ff.net (thanks for reviewing nearly every chapter Crystal. ^_^x). 'When Angels Lost Their Wings' is a story about Shion and Misanagi and the impact that Mina had on their lives, it's a shoujo-ai fic, and I highly doubt there will be a lemon or anything like that in the fic. I should also add that Aoshi and Misao will appear in it. The second fic I'm working on is an interactive modern day RK story called 'Romance of the Meiji' where you play as Kenshin and try to get him a girl friend by the end of the year. There are nine girls who are candidates who could be Kenshin's girlfriend, those nine being Kaoru, Tomoe, Megumi, Misao, Shura, Yumi, Misanagi, Mina, and Shion. I'll post that one up when I finish all the chapters. So in the meantime, leave me a review on 'Crimson String', but not a flame, and if you have any suggestions on what I should do with the interactive fic, please feel free to leave some in your review. Well that's it for now, later people. (God that's probably the longest author's note I've written!)


	23. Are You Proud of Me?

Author's Note: Well, the story's almost finished, about ten more updates and book one of 'Crimson String' will come to a close. This chapter seems kinda slow at first, but it'll go somewhere. Anyway, let's just get on with the story.

  
  


Chapter 20: Are You Proud of Me?

  
  


Winter had returned rather quickly that year, there is not much to speak of what happened during those idle months between my friendship with Shion and this time in my life which I am about to speak of. This entire incident began one night, it was supposed to be the same as any other. I was treading down the streets of the city, a pack of Mibu's wolves on my tail.

"Hitokiri Kensai, surrender in the name of the Shinsengumi!" the lead Wolf ordered, his claw wrapped around the steel fang on his belt.

I faced the man for a second, his blade racing down from an angle. Seeing this attack for what I think was the millionth time, I drew my katana at the last moment, the Wolf staggering upon pulling my blade away. With a flick of my wrist, his spine was caught in the freezing metal, an iced crater of red take it's place where my sword had punctured. Within a split second, I pried the steel slab away, swinging it toward the next Wolf who charged. Metal crashed through another, my blade finding it's way to his skull after breaking through his sword. The ruby liquid that emitted after began to spray, but suddenly stopped before it could taint my kimono. One Wolf left, he was coming from behind. Without even looking, I plunged my sword behind me, engraving the blade between two of the man's ribs. I pulled upward after, snapping through each rib with ease, his blood freezing upon touching the air. Silence would usually follow after my work was done, but in this incident, it didn't. I heard cries, sniffling coming from around the corner. I decided to investigate, my sword close to my side as I treaded the blood-soaked streets. Turned the corner, surprised at who I had found.

"Mother?!" I was shocked to see her once more.

She turned to me for a second, her face covered in tears and a frown stretched across her face. It was obvious that she was the one crying, but why?

"What have you done, Mina?" Mother sniffed. "What have you become?"

"What have I...?" I said puzzled at her words.

Suddenly she sprang forward, and out of instinct, I plunged my blade forward. I can remember the grotesque image very well, the cringe on her face as the steel kissed her flesh, the cry she made when the rivers of life began oozing from her wound, I remember the pain I had inflicted upon myself, taking my mother away from me once more.

"What have you become...?" Mother asked me once more before her skull met with the stone road.

"Mother!" I suddenly sprang up from my futon. "Just a dream," I had realized a second later.

My entire being was covered in an icy cold liquid, my heart was practically trying to leap out of my chest as I sat there, my entire system seemed to have been drained, trying to recollect what was lost with large huffs. Things began to slow down the moment I had placed my palm over my face, but I was still in shock what I had just done. I had slain my own mother with my own hands, her blood pouring onto my palms as it ran down my blade, seeping through it's guard and collecting on the hilt. I thought I could still see the fluid on my hand, freezing over my fingers and palm as I held it before me. Why did I do such a thing? Even if it was a dream, the fact of the matter is that I slew her. Was it because I've adapted to the battlefield too much, or is it because Kensai had taken control? I knew I wasn't going to find the answer any time soon.

"Mina, is something the matter?" Kenshin asked as he rose from the futon across from mine.

"No, Kenshin," I answered as I tried to recollect my breath, "it's nothing, nothing at all, that it is."

It occurred to me then that there was something about this day, something special happened. I couldn't exactly put my finger on it, all I knew is that this day meant a lot to me, but what was it? I began to pick at my brain, trying to find the answer, but it just wouldn't come, even hours later when breakfast was served. Breakfast was also different that day, that it was.

"What is this?" I asked the maid as I took the sphere of white grains into my hand.

"Rice balls," the maid answered.

"I know that, but where's the meat?" I looked at the rest of the mounds placed in my bowl.

"I'm afraid we forgot to go to the market yesterday," the maid said as she bowed, "I'm terribly sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I told the maid as I bit into the sphere.

"How is it?" Kenshin asked as he took in a morsel of his own share.

"...perhaps we should just get a job at a restaurant or inn," Mother's voice suddenly echoed through my head, "it's better than you..."

"Forget about it, Mother," I remembered my response, "there are no jobs for us in this city, no opportunity, I checked everywhere. I guess I will have to take up the job you recommended earlier..."

"Are you sure?" I remembered the concern on her face.

"...Hai," I had answered, "it's...the only way."

"Ugh!" my hand took a hold of my forehead.

"Mina, are you okay?" Kenshin had asked once a sudden pain shot up to my head.

"...Hai, I'm all right, that I am," I answered.

I didn't feeling like eating afterward, not when Mother's face continued flashing through my mind. Instead, I went out into the yard, taking my scarred bokken off the wall, and swinging the oak curve against the winds. The dream slowly began to make it's way back into my head, another second played with every swing I took. The tears on her face, the push of my blade, her bloody mass in my arms, why was I thinking this, why was I remembering Mother's death at that particular day.

"Damn it all," I spat as I swung my blade, "damn it all!" I swung downward with all my might.

A loud crack followed the crash, one half of the sword ricocheting off the ground and out of the yard's fence. My action had once again drawn in a crowd, all of those eyes peering into my being as I tried to recollect my thoughts.

"What do you want?!" I growled at the masses.

I'm sure I saw at least one or two witnesses jump before they began to return to their duties. Sweat began to travel down my temple again, the frozen winds began weighing the air, making it harder for me to breath.

"Why am I thinking this now?" I asked myself between pants. "I never thought about her death until this morning, why?"

"Mina?" my brother's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Kenshin," I turned to him for a few seconds.

There he stood with that look of concern on his face, it was always there whenever I was the least bit annoyed or angry. Just gazing into those lavender eyes would soothe my temper, but this time, they didn't have their usual effect. I saw her inside those purple orbs, I saw my mother's frown, as if she were ashamed of her own daughter. I just had to turn away, the very sight of lavender eyes would've brought me to tears if I peered into them any longer.

"What is it?" he asked, placing his hand onto my shoulder.

"Please don't look at me," I turned my head a little more. "Please, just...leave me alone for a bit."

"Hai," Kenshin said with a nod.

I needed to clear my head, standing in one spot wasn't going to solve anything. I treaded toward the yard's gate, the door creaking even with the small nudge I gave it. The streets were as crowded as ever, all those words the people spoke easily commingled becoming nothing but a large blur. My feet turned to the direction to the east, my body shortly following in it's path. My head felt as if it were being pulled to the street, my eyes fixed on each step my feet took. The only things I saw and heard came from my feet. My body was in the streets, but my mind was elsewhere.

"Mina, could you water the crops?" I heard her voice again.

I swatted the memory away with the brush of my hand, probably striking the side of a person as I did so. My eyes began to weigh down after, their being beginning to melt away into tears.

"Are you all right, child?" Mother's voice continued to ring through my head.

"No, I'm not all right," I answered as I continued treading down the street.

By the time I had looked up, I found myself in front of one of the city's rivers. The water was as clear as ever, despite the fallen sakura blossoms here and there. I peered into the translucent liquid for a moment, fixing my eyes on the girl that stared back at me. The image suddenly rippled with the drop of a leaf from a nearby tree, my reflection waved back and forth for a few seconds before it regained it's natural composure. No, it wasn't it's natural composure, in fact, it wasn't even my reflection.

"Mother?" I stared into the image for a mere second. "Hmph!" I threw a stone into the figure.

"You're really losing it, Mina," Kensai suddenly spoke to me.

"What do you want?" I grumbled at the sound of her voice.

"Let's go for a walk," she stated, "turn left."

"Where are we going?" I asked as we mingled with the hoards of citizens.

"It's very important," Kensai answered, "just keep going down this way."

I followed Kensai's every word, every corner she told me to turn, and soon I found myself in a remote area. Not a sign of life anywhere, not a flicker of light either, and I know the sun hadn't set yet either. Small buildings had surrounded me, none of them seemed to be well maintained. The walls were filled with patches of bark or scraps of lumber, the air was musty and heavier than it was back in the populated streets. I must've been in the slums, but why had Kensai brought me here? The area felt familiar to me though, as if I had been here before.

"Recognize this place?" Kensai asked a few moments of observation.

"No...," I answered as my head began to shift from right to left. "Wait a minute," my mother's figure began to flash through my mind for a second, "this is..."

"Please, spare this child!" I heard mother's scream coming from a few feet ahead of me.

I saw my mother, standing before me, her arms extended to the sides as she shielded a young girl standing in the corner behind her. Then out of nowhere, the image of two Mibu dogs appeared in front of her, their fangs bared as they inched toward her.

"Get away from her you bastards!" I screamed as I rushed toward the Wolves.

Without hesitation, I wrapped my fingers around the hilt of my katana, sliding the blade against the sheath's side with all my might as I drew it. The outer curve met at their sides, sliding through their torsos with ease, yet slicing nothing but air. They continued to inch toward her, couldn't allow it, so I swung again. Still no effect, I had to go for a third slash. A fourth followed, then a fifth, I had lost count after as I continued swinging back and forth with all my might.

"Stop it," tears began to flood down my face, running faster with each swing, "leave her alone! Are you hearing me, don't touch her! Don't touch her," I shut my eyes to try and seal the rivers but to no avail, "don't touch her. Don't touch her!" I screamed.

The damage was already done, I heard her screams as the steel fangs engraved themselves onto her body. I could feel a warm fluid caressing against my hand, freezing in a matter of seconds. The veil of darkness slowly lifted from my eyes, the lifeless mass that was once my mother now lay before a pool of ruby red liquid, her face drenched in it's contents. The Wolves began to inch toward the girl standing before my mother's corpse, her lavender eyes as wide as they ever could be.

"No, get away!" she screamed.

"Oh my God," I soon found myself looking into the Wolves' eyes through her own, "this girl is..."

"You," Kensai finished my words, the Wolves and the image of my mother and self disappearing after.

"Why, why am I...?" I began to ponder on the matter again.

"Do you know what day it is?" Kensai asked.

"Today...," I began to think, "today is..."

"Are you all right?" my brother's voice suddenly echoed into my head.

"Today is the day...," the answer was now within my grasp.

"It's not your fault," I remember what I had told Kenshin a second later.

"The day that I met Kenshin," I finally realized.

"Right," Kensai answered.

"This is the place where Mother...," I turned my attention back to the spot my mother had sacrificed herself for me. "Mother...," I stepped toward the tiles that held her body that night.

Without even thinking, I lowered myself toward the cracked blocks, my hand petting the very spot where she once lay. The tears had come again, quickly engulfing my eyes in a translucent residue, streaking down my cheeks once more within the next second. I couldn't hold them anymore, no, I didn't want to hold them anymore. My mother, how I miss her, and Father as well. By touching those stone blocks, I could remember my family.

"Mina, come inside now," I remembered when I was a child, about six or so.

It was winter, and it had begun to snow. I was out in the field playing around in the snow. I was running all over the place, falling down on some random spots and waving my arms and legs up and down in those spots, leaving imprints of angels as I did so.

"Do I have to, Mommy?" I groaned as Father took me into his arms.

"Come on, don't get your mother angry," Father smiled as he led me inside.

Whenever I left my being into the snow when I was a child, the impression of angel would always be left. I'm sure that if I were to wave my arms and legs in the powder substance, the impression of a devil would be left, the surrounding snow melting once it had been engraved.

"Mother, Father," I spoke as I continued to touch the broken road, "you're still watching over me, right? Are you still proud of your daughter after all she's done this past year? Do you hate me for all the things I've done? Do you...still love me?" more tears began to escape my eyes as I asked this.

"What have we here?" a chuckle began to echo around the entire area.

"Who's there?!" I quickly rose to my feet, my left hand swatting the rivers emitting from my eyes.

The shadows had begun to move, coming from the right at first, and then the left. My eyes veered forward after to find another shadow, and my eyes had found a fourth coming from the south. The one in front stepped toward the light, leaving the darkness so I can get a good look of her face, and I knew this particular devil well.

"Misanagi the Flying Arrow," I narrowed my eyes at the sight of the shinobi.

"We meet again, Hitokiri Kensai," Misanagi grinned once her visage had entered the light.

"What business do you have with me?" I asked, my eyes shifting from side to side as the remaining three shadows began swirling before me. "I thought I made it clear to you the last time that I have no intention to fight you, that I don't."

"Well I have every single intention to!" Misanagi spat. "You have some nerve trying to pull an act like that back in Osaka, and showing me pity back in Kodomo-no-Hi, that was just unforgivable. Ren, Zan, Baku, do it now!"

"Nani?!" I soon found a claw-like device launching itself toward me from the shadows.

Without even thinking I pulled my katana from my belt and raised it at the prongs just as soon as they shut. The prongs began to pull me forward after, I tried my hardest not to pulled in to the darkness, forcing all my weight back. I shouldn't have just focused on that one shinobi, because at the last moment I had remembered the other two. The skin on my arm and neck began to sting suddenly, I couldn't help but release my blade from the pronged spear. I found myself suddenly pulled back into the shadows in the opposite direction, my right arm was rendered useless as it was constrained by some kind of invisible device, probably a rope as black as darkness.

"What the hell?!" I tried to fight against the ropes.

"There's no way you're getting out of this one," Misanagi laughed, "those whips have steel inside their leather casing, there's no way you can break out of them!"

More darkness began to leave the shadows after, these silhouettes flying toward me as I lay in place. How hard tried to escape the clutches of my dark restraints, it still wasn't enough. The black silhouettes suddenly landed on my shoulder, and then pain began to shoot inside my entire being, starting with my neck. I couldn't help but scream from as the fangs seeped into my skin, a river of warm fluid began to run down my neck after.

"Vampire bats," I had realized what had bit me.

Another puncture, this time on my constrained arm, another screamed followed. A third followed shortly, then a fourth, I lost count soon after, the bites were too consecutive. I could feel my strength slowly being drained with each drop of blood that poured from my body, I thought I was going to die.

"It can't end now," I told myself as everything began to fade into darkness, "not now..."

Slowly, the bites became painless, the rivers of life flowing like waterfalls as they seeped down every crevice of my body, everything before was beginning to fade into the darkness. That simper on her face and her laugh, was it to be the last image I were to see before I die?

  
  


Chapter 20 Liner Notes

  
  


The three individuals with Misanagi- From what you've read, there are three other ninjas with Misanagi during her attack on Mina. These three are Misanagi's bodyguards, the Sanada Three, they're seen in two episodes of the Rurouni Kenshin anime series. Right now in the story, they don't have those ridiculous costumes they wore when they fought Kenshin and the others, they just have normal ninja outfits, and Zan and Baku don't have their masks yet, nor does Ren have his eye patch. I just thought I should point this stuff out.

  
  


(Next time: "Engulfed in darkness and in blood I lay, the creature that chases me tries to consume me, taking me into it's belly. Even as I escape, the devil and her three shadows await, their fangs bared and their talons sharpened. Fate is working against me, and for once, Man must go against what is destined..." -Himura Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: Well how was it? Tell me what you think by leaving me a review, but not a flame. I don't really have much to say anymore in my author's note I don't think. Well, I guess I should tell you readers who also read the 'Twin Dragon Arc' that most of those flashback scenes will be thrown away to be replaced by more dramatic and angsty ones. Well, that's it for now, later.


	24. Anniversary Adversary

Author's Note: I don't really know what to say... About nine more chapters and this story will come to a close, but that doesn't mean Mina's adventures are over. There's still two more books of 'Crimson String' that have yet to be written. Well whatever, let's get to the story now.  
  


Chapter 21: Anniversary/Adversary  
  


I had found myself engulfed in the belly of darkness once more. Nothing but black stood before me in all directions, I couldn't tell where I was. The air was dank and heavy, I couldn't even see the mist my breath created with each heave of my chest. It was cold there, I couldn't help but wrap my arms around myself, although it didn't seem to do any good.

"Mina...," a voice suddenly called from the darkness. "Mina..."

"That voice...," I turned to where I thought the source was. "Mother...?"

"Mina...," another voice followed.

"Father?" my feet began to push me in the voices' direction.

The black began to fade suddenly, and my feet began sliding against a now rough ground. Cylinders of oak began to take their place by my sides, followed by a small ray of light coming from the area that stood before my eyes. This place, I had been here before, this was where I had reunited with my family a year before, this place was the Sanzu.

"Have I died?" I asked myself as soon as the crimson river came into view once more. "Did I succumb to the shadows moments ago?"

"Mina...," the voices of my parents called again.

I turned to the other side of the river, and there they were yet again. They were proud to see me, I could tell by the expression on their faces. Those smiles, I had not seen those since I was a child. Was it really my time, was it time for me to finally cross over? I turned back to where I had come from, there was no image of Kenshin holding my corpse this time. I don't know why I did what I did after looking back, but I soon found myself rushing toward the banks of the river. A boat was waiting for me there, the very same boat I was going to use the last time I came here. I took a step into the floating device, my foot almost slipping as soon as it touched the surface. After gaining my balance on the constantly rocking boat, I began to set my other foot in, but suddenly, my entire body was jerked back.

"What the?" I turned to the source. "Nani?!" I was shocked to see the person who had grabbed me.

The sight of red was abundant on her, there was not a spot that had not been tainted in crimson. Between the scarlet liquid on her face lay an evil simper, stretched from ear-to-ear, her fangs bared with hints of meat between the spaces in her teeth. The only other thing I could make out on her face were those golden pupils, the very sight of those bright yellow eyes paralyzed me in place. I wanted to run, I wanted to scream, but the only thing I could do was hold my jaw from dropping to the floor.

"Kensai...?" were the only words that could escape my lips at the moment.

With those words, she tugged me forward, my face leading my path to the ground outside of the boat. Ignoring my fear for a mere second, I was able to push myself off the muddied floor, only to stare back into those frightening yellow orbs. I was frozen yet again, my voice whimpering with each step she took as her crimson blade slit the earth. Finally, I took up the courage to act, beginning to back away with my hands pulling me back as it grabbed handfuls of dirt and rock. I wasn't able to react fast enough though, for I was then pulled back to my feet, my hair balled into her hands and stinging with each inch they were pulled from their roots. She had pressed my back against her body, the stench of corpses was apparent in her breath as it ran down my neck along with some of the ruby fluid flowing from her hair, running into mine. A click of steel echoed in my ears, a louder impression coming from my right. My eyes slowly edged to the corners to the east, and there was a curved steel, blood flowing like a waterfall as the tip pointed to the newly slit earth. I had to do something, anything, but I was unable to move, my arms locked in place as she wrapped her free arm around my body and my right leg was wrapped with her own, I was trapped. The crimson blade began to inch closer, the feel of fire began to burn within the base of my neck as that tainted steel came closer. How it burned when it finally rested there, the outer curve pointed at my trachea creating a flood of sweat in the process. Finally, the steel began to push against my skin, a river of my life began pouring with the newly applied pressure. The blade began to inch to the east, the river growing rapid in the process. That was when I finally acted.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Nani?!" I found myself lying before the devil known as Misanagi, my arm and neck still bounded as before. "Impossible, she should be dead!" Misanagi looked shock as I began to pull myself upward.

I had returned to the living once more. The shadows had been waiting for my return, bits and pieces hovering above my head as four other stood before me in all directions. My body had begun to weigh me down once again, just being able to move it took a lot out of me. I turned to the devil standing before me, again there was fear in her eyes, but it quickly melted away within the blink of an eye. With the whip of her hand, I suddenly found my arm and neck burning as the wind glided past my body.

"Argh!" I found myself suddenly hurled against the wall, my back arching toward the new crater in the process. "Shit," I cursed as the pain from before shot through my entire body.

Dried crimson painted every part of my body, my navy blue kimono was now a dark violet thanks to those bites those bats gave me. My katana was still in the prongs of the three-bladed spear held by one of the shadows, I could see it's glimmer as it rested between one of the shadows. The shadow that constrained me was now standing before me, two black ropes, one in each hand, extending in my direction, I couldn't see his face, it was concealed in a black scarf. My head rose upward a bit more, finding the final shadow on the roof of the nearest building, those bats still hanging around him. A whistle suddenly blew passed my ears, the bats began to leave their master's side as a result, the hordes suddenly flying toward me once more.

"Have to do something...," I thought to myself as I turned toward the short blade on my belt.

The next thing I knew, my feet were pushing against the stone floor, springing toward my assailant. The hordes of black brushed passed me as I sprung forward, some of their fangs sinking into my blood-tainted skin, but the pain was now impudent, my sights were focused on the shadow constraining me.

"What the hell?!" I could tell the ninja was shocked as my free hand clung against the short blade on my belt.

As soon as his face was within range, I slid the curved steel slab against it's case, the blade rising upward, striking one of the white orbs on his face, his ropes falling to the floor as a result. Dust blew in the direction of the now one-eyed ninja as soon as my feet met the ground. Turning my head upward in the next second, I found the three-pronged spear in lunging toward my face once more. Not wanting to follow the same pattern as last time, I dodged the spear instead, the blades tearing the sleeve of my kimono instead.

"Son of a!" I found myself dodging the spear again as soon as I stepped back. "Can't get in close, especially with a wakezashi."

With the third lunge the ninja took, I decided to push my entire weight to the ground. I was soaring into the heavens once more, plummeting back to the earth in the same instant.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Tsui-Sen!" I screamed as my short sword lead the way back down.

My sword had met with the base of the spear, the outer curve pressing against the center of the spear's blades. I tried forcing all my weight down on my sword as the ninja used his spear to hold me in the air using my wakezashi, but it didn't seem like he was having trouble at all holding up my weight. I wasn't prepared for what happened next, the spear's prongs closed, grasping my blade in place, and then using his body's weight, he spun to the east, taking me along with him, the prongs releasing me against the furthest wall seconds later.

"Can't die now...," I bit down on the newly flowing river escaping my lips. "Huh?" I found my left hand touching a curved piece of oak.

I instantly knew what this object was, there was no need to look at it. Sliding my short blade back into it's sheath, I took the object into my left hand. Again, the tiny shadow creatures were beginning to surround me, leaving a small path between me and the spear wielder. I dashed into the shadow path again, sustaining even more bites with each inch I came closer. There was no way I could move left or right in that path, I could only move forward, any other direction would ensure death. Based on the flow of this path, there was only one move my opponent could use. The three blades shot forward just as I anticipated, and I was prepared for it. Bringing my katana's sheath upward, the three blades froze in place upon contact, and I could tell the ninja was shocked by my recent action, even if I couldn't see his face. At the very same moment our weapons met, that's when I pulled the sword out of it's case, it's sharpened point plunging into his face. The cut wasn't very deep, but it made my attacker drop his weapon. The bats began to engulf me once more, their fangs once again seeping into my skin. Ignoring the sharp shots shooting through my entire body, I slit the shinobi's face some more, swinging my blade to the east, slicing a bat or two in the process. Then I swung inward once more, slashing the man's face again, this time a stream of red began seeping through his mask. A third swing followed, and then a forth, the swings just continued consecutively in mere seconds, tearing the ninja's face to shreds, leaving a black crater of red where his visage once stood.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Son-Sen," I glared at my fallen opponent after using my multiple swing attack. "Two more," I turned to the sidelines to find the remaining devils.

"You're more skilled than last time," Misanagi complimented, her face still showing a sign of cockiness, "but it won't matter, you're about to die in the end. Baku, finish her off!" she ordered the remaining shadow.

The whistles from before began to echo throughout the area once more. More shadows appeared from within the darkness, my body was now succumbing to their sharpened teeth. My strength was beginning to pour out of my system with each drop of blood that seeped out of my pores, there was no one who was going to save me from the Sanzu this time, I thought.

"Mina...," a voice began to call. "Mina..., you mustn't give up, child."

"Mother?" I called with my remaining strength.

"You must live, Mina," Mother's voice called, "you must live. I am proud of you my daughter, proud of the woman you have become, proud that my daughter is playing a role in Japan's future. Mina, please live, live in the world your father and I could never see..."

"Mother, I...will live," the strength in body suddenly began to return. "I'll live to create that new world, I'll live to avenge your death, and most of all, I'll live for him."

"Out of all the delirious people I've seen before they die you must be the most," Misanagi sighed. "Baku, kill her now!"

"Kyah!" I began to scream with my new found strength and suddenly some of the bats began falling.

"Argh!" the ninja by Misanagi's side began to grip his ears.

I couldn't comprehend what was going on at first after some of the bats began falling, but then it hit me a second later. Bats are very sensitive to sound, and that ninja must possess the same level of hearing as his pets, that's how he was probably able to communicate with them. Sound, that was he key, and I had the perfect attack for this situation.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," I took my sheath into my left hand, placing the tip inside it's gap, "Mei-Ryu-Sen!" I slid the blade into place as fast as I could.

Within the very same second, the entire ground was suddenly littered with the flying menaces, their wings now paralyzed and their teeth now etched into the stone ground. I turned back to where the last ninja stood, his face now laying in a crimson pool, I'm sure his nose must've broke the moment he fell to the ground. There was only one shadow left, the devil that lead this horde of three, Misanagi the Flying Arrow.

"It's just you and me now," I told the remaining ninja.

"Che, you got lucky this time, Kensai," Misanagi spat.

Three thuds were followed after her words, those thuds coming from where all three ninjas once stood. Three more ninjas, these one were just grunts though. Without hesitation, I wrapped my fingers around my katana's hilt once more. To my surprise, the ninjas only took their fallen comrades into their arms, placing them over their shoulders after.

"We'll withdraw for now," Misanagi glared, "next time you won't be so lucky."

Smoke engulfed the area just like last time, the shadows all vanished without a trace once the gray clouds had disappeared.

"Che, that's what they said last time," I remembered our last encounter, "and look at what's happened. Nothing but big talkers, that's what you are."

After professing my insults to the already vanished ninjas, I turned my attention back to the spot Mother had laid during that night a year ago. Falling to my knees, I placed my katana at my side, my palms meeting as they stood before my face, and my eyes shutting the very next moment.

"Mina!" the voice of my brother quickly interrupted my prayer. "Mina!" he called again. "So here you are," Kenshin took his place beside me. "Mina, what's happened to you?!" he asked as soon as he noticed my wounds. "Are you hurt, you're bleeding everywhere!"

"I'm okay, Kenshin, that I am," I assured him, returning to my prayer.

"But Mina...," Kenshin tried to show me his concern again.

"I'm fine," I told him again, "please, just leave me be if you have nothing to say to my mother."

"Your mother?" Kenshin looked at me puzzled for a moment. "Oh yes, that's right," Kenshin remembered a second later.

He shut his mouth after that, placing his knees flat against the ground and his palms in the same position as mine. We sat there for a few moments, silence echoing throughout the area as we prayed. Within a few moments, I decided to end my prayer, my eyes greeted by the blocks where my mother had died. Kenshin had just ended his prayer at the very same moment, his usual smile returning to his face once he had finished.

"Shall we go?" he asked, offering his hand to mine as he stood up.

"Hai," I placed my palm onto his.

We returned to the inn shortly, the entire clan was worried when I had left so abruptly earlier. All of them were asking me what had happened or if I was okay as soon as I had returned. I simply answered with a simple 'hai' or nod of my head, brushing them all aside as I made my way to the bathhouse. It must've taken me about an hour to get all of that dried blood off of my body, and it took about the same amount of time to bound the dried craters with bandages. Luckily, the Cho Shu Clan wasn't on the move that night, so everyone was given the night off. It was nice to be given the night off for once, I could catch up on my reading in 'The Forty Seven Ronin'. I wouldn't have much time to read however, because my brother had something else in mind.

I was reading my book when Kenshin suddenly came into the room, his arms placed around his back, obviously keeping something from my view. I tried not to pay attention, but my eyes couldn't help but linger toward him as he came closer into the room.

"What is it, Kenshin?" I asked as I placed my book on the floor.

"I have something for you," Kenshin answered, his arms moving in front of him, along with the object he was concealing. "Here," a bouquet of red flowers rested in his hands.

"They're beautiful," I took the bouquet of camellias into my arms, rubbing my face on the flowers' soft texture as I cradled it..

"I thought it would be suitable since it's been a year since we first met," Kenshin said with his usual smile stretched across his face.

"Arigatou, Kenshin," I quickly wrapped my right around his shoulder, the still holding the flowers in my left hand, "but I'm afraid I have nothing to give you," I realized as I slowly released my hold on my brother.

"It's all right, Mina," Kenshin assured me, his smile never leaving his face as he spoke.

"I know," I blurted out the first idea that came into mind, "I'll cook your favorite, mackerel with rice, sprinkled with radish."

"No, that isn't necessary," Kenshin tried to tell me, but I had already darted to the kitchen.

It had been a while since I had last cooked, I couldn't help but keep wishing my dish didn't taste bad as I began to prepare the ingredients. I was lucky that the maids had gone to the market that morning, it was a miracle that they picked up some mackerel along with the usual slop. It didn't take long for me to finish frying the fish, the rice was finished by the time I had chopped up the radishes and placed them on the fish. It looked delicious on the outside, but would it be the same in terms of taste. It was time for the moment of truth as soon as I left the kitchen, my brother eagerly waiting at the table as I brought the dish to him. I placed the dish before him, he took a second to glance at it. The very next thing he did was place his chopsticks in his hands, setting the two sticks between his index and middle fingers. The points of the utensils dug into the white meat, peeling it from it's being within a split second. The white meat pulled itself toward his mouth, landing on his tongue and being shut away from sight as his lips shut and his jaw began moving up and down. Was my dish a success, or was it a flop?

"How is it?" I asked after swallowing my hope.

"It's delicious," Kenshin licked his lips after.

"ALL RIGHT!" I yelled inside my mind.

"I don't know how to repay you for this delicious meal though, Mina, that I don't," Kenshin said as he eagerly took another helping into his mouth.

"I'm already repaying for the flowers so there's no need, that there isn't" I told him, my smile stretched from ear to ear, "just enjoy the meal."

"No really," he insisted, "you've outdone yourself, please, I'll do any favor you ask, that I will."

"Anything huh?" I thought about it for a moment. 

A lot of things came into mind when he gave me this proposition, a lot of things that Kensai normally thought of when she was thinking about other women. It sickened me for a moment that I was beginning to think like her, but I quickly brushed all those dirty images away.

"I know, Kenshin, is it okay to ask you to be the one to make me a woman?" I wanted ask but my stupid conscience kicked me for it.

"Baka!" it yelled at me. "Don't take advantage of your brother like that! How would you like it if..."

"Can't you shut up for once!" I yelled at my conscience.

Then something popped up in my head, something that wasn't wrong or dirty. It had been something I wanted to ask him for a while, and no, it had nothing to really do with our relationship, but I had to ask anyway.

"I know, Brother, can I ask you a question?" I asked after a moment of thinking.

"Hai," Kenshin answered as he swallowed his second helping, "go on."

"Your name, Kenshin, that can't possibly be your real name now can it?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he tried dodging my question with one of his own.

"Let's get real, Brother Kenshin," I spoke with my serious tone of voice, "who would name their child whose name means 'Heart of Sword' unless they knew that child would go into war when they grew up."

"If you must know," Kenshin began to hesitate, "...it's Shinta, Himura Shinta."

That was the first time I had heard his real name, Himura Shinta, the real name of my brother. Such a nice and innocent name, a name more suited for a gentle man like him, unlike the name Kenshin which is more adapt for a ruthless killer in my opinion.

"I can see why," I decided to play a joke, "what kind of warrior goes by the pathetic name of 'Shinta'? Ah ha ha ha," I began impersonating that laugh Shion always used when she was around.

"I can say the same for 'Mina'," Kenshin retaliated with a joke of his own.

"That was harsh," I couldn't help but sulk after.

"Gomen," Kenshin apologized for his joke after.

"But seriously," I returned to my serious tone of voice, "Shinta is a really nice name, that it is."

Shinta, that was what I would forever call my brother from then on. Yes, I still refer to Kenshin as Shinta even now, and I will do so for the rest of my story, that I will. Shinta, I was the only one to call him by his real name, the only one to really know his true name. Shinta, is it still possible to call you by that name, even now? What am I doing, I'm getting ahead of myself here. Give me a moment and I shall continue...

  
  


Chapter 21 Liner Notes  
  


(Nothing to explain.)  
  


(Next time: "She has been with me for a year now, always by my side and always in my shadow. I enjoy her company, but I want her out of my shadow and into the light. I want her to be her, to be herself, but as long as she is with me, that can never be..." -Himura Kenshin)

Author's Note: Well, how was it? Why don't you leave me a review, but not a flame. Personally I thought this chapter was kinda slow, but that's just me. Hopefully the pace will be kicked back up for the next chapter. Anyway, I don't know if I'll be able to update as much now because of school and stuff, but I'll try. I guess that's it for now, later.


	25. The String Begins to Unwind

Author's Note: What do you know, I was able to update on time. Anyway, I don't really know what to say, so let's get to the story.

  
  


Chapter 22: The String Begins to Unwind

  
  


A week after Shinta and I had our anniversary, things were once again very slow. Yeah, I know that's what I've been saying for the longest time now, but I don't want to get into every little detail about each battle I've gone through. The Ishin Shishi has had the Bakufu and it's forces on the run for a while, all thanks to people such as my brother and Shion. Things were kinda peaceful now, Shinta and I only had to patrol every two days now and there weren't that many people that crossed with our swords. Anyway, the real meat of my story began during practice that morning, and as usual, I was getting my ass kicked by Shinta.

"ORO?!" I stood shocked as Shinta suddenly disappears from my sight.

Suddenly the sound of oak began whistling in my ear, the winds were swirling from above. I tilted my head upward for a mere second and I soon found it face first in the freezing white ground, along with a throbbing pain on my right shoulder.

"Oro..." I muttered as I tried to return to my feet.

"Mina, are you okay?" Shinta quickly hurried to my side, dropping his bokken in the process.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I answered, practically dragging my body back to it's feet.

I was pretty used to Shinta beating me all the time during practice that I eventually got used to the pain...to a degree anyway. Actually, come to think of it, there was another factor during my losses to Shinta that week, it was difficulties in breathing. For some reason, I was having trouble, I would be fine during the early parts of the fight, but after a prolonged period of time, my chest suddenly felt constrained or something like that.

"Shinta...," I called to him as I tried to regain as much of my lost breath as possible, "will I ever be stronger than you?"

I had said it, will I ever be stronger than you. I was beginning to get tired of being the wakezashi of the daisho, I hated being the weaker one. Wherever we went, it was always something like "look, it's Kenshin and Mina", or "it's the Battousai!" and then a few seconds later "and the Kensai!". I wanted to have my own name, my own reputation without being in Shinta's shadow, even if it was for something as horrible as murder. I wanted to be a great woman, I still do, I want my name to be remembered by all for all the great things I've done.

Anyway, where was I...oh yeah, Shinta began to help me to my feet, it didn't seem like I was going to regain anything with my head just inches off the ground. He placed my arm over his shoulder, angling my body so that my eyes met his when I looked forward. He wore his trademark smile as he held me, his lips stretched across his face and his lavender eyes shielded with their lids.

"Mina, if you wish to be strong," Shinta spoke, the lids over his eyes stretching back as he talked, "then be strong in your own way, that way you can be stronger than me."

"Be strong in my own way?" his words left me puzzled. "What exactly do you mean, Shinta?"

"Mina, you can't expect me to teach you everything," Shinta's smile melted into his serious look, "there are some things in life that you must learn on your own, that there are, you can't expect me to teach you all of them," Shinta said as he slid the door to our room open. "All I've really taught you are skills with the sword and the joy of having a family, I don't know if there is anything else I can teach you."

"So you're saying I'll never be stronger than you?" I asked him as he set me on my futon.

"I didn't say that, Mina," Shinta answered, "all I'm saying is that you should find out in your own way."

After saying those words, he left the room, his smile stretching across his face again once he had reached the door. He just stood there for a few moments before he turned back to the door, sliding it shut as he left.

I didn't understand what he meant when he first told me those words. I knew I was strong back then, but not stronger than my brother. I was strong because of the skills he had taught me, because he was always the for me, and because I was probably born with the heart of a warrior.

"'If you wish to be strong, be strong in your own way', how am I supposed to do that?" I asked myself as I lay in the cotton mattress.

I began contemplating over his words for a few moments until slumber overcame me. It wasn't very long that I was freed from it's hold though, within moments I was shot back to reality with the laughter of my former rival and friend.

"Ah ha ha ha," the laugh of my former rival echoed from the entrance of my room.

"Ugh...what's so funny, Shion?!" I spat as my head quickly jumped forward from the cry of her laughter.

"My my, aren't we grouchy," Shion smiled as I rubbed the crust that had dried over my eyes.

My skin seemed to be slippery as rubbed my fingers against it, something definitely wasn't right. After rubbing against my eyes for a bit, I turned my palm toward my face to find a black substance smudged all over it.

"What the hell?!" I jumped at the sight of ink on my hand, quickly putting the mirror to my face with my clean hand.

Gazing into the glass before me, I found a black fluid painted all over my face. Two circles over my eyes, and "X" on my forehead, and a mustache above my lips. I couldn't help but slam the mirror onto the tatami after seeing my own reflection, the glass shattering upon touching the floor.

"Shion...," I growled as I balled my fingers into a fist.

"Hm hm," Shion just stood there with that usual mask of happiness over her face.

"Goddammit, this isn't funny!" I yelled at her.

"It was just a joke, Mina," Shion snickered, the back of her right hand covering her mouth as she spoke, "here, clean yourself off," Shion wiped off that smirk as she threw me a handkerchief, "we have a meeting downstairs."

I wiped away the inky residue within seconds and hurried downstairs with Shion. Our entire forces must've been visiting today, the entire dining hall was loaded with soldiers. I couldn't help but notice Shishio was in this meeting as well, sitting in the east corner of the room, behind the masses of grunts. If he was here, then that must've automatically meant that something big was going on tonight because I've never seen Shishio in our meetings before. There was no room for Shion or me to sit, so we had to stand at the end of the room just as Katsura, Saigo, and another individual I've never seen entered the hall.

"Good day everyone," Katsura had greeted us as he took his usual seat in front of all our soldiers, "I hope you are all doing well."

"Katsura, are you always so formal with your men?" Saigo sighed. "Can't we just get to the point?"

"I agree with Saigo-sama," the unknown individual next to Saigo nodded, "I'm afraid we're wasting even more time if we continue with idle chatter."

There was something about that individual, I don't know what it was, he just seemed different from the other soldiers I met. He had long brown hair, as dark as an oak tree's bark, eyes of the same color, and he seemed to be growing some kind of mustache. That sword he was carrying was also odd, it wasn't a katana, and there was no wakezashi of some sort that went with it. The blade was still curved, but it was the handle and scabbard that were different. They weren't made of oak or pine like most swords, but these were made of what looked like silver. There was also a piece of metal that went over one part of the hilt, connecting with the guard. Other than these small differences, he looked like a typical Ishin Shishi soldier.

"Hey Shion, who is that guy?" I whispered to her about the unknown individual.

"I don't know," Shion answered after she took a small glance of the individual, "I've never seen that man before to be honest."

"That man is Yamigata Aritomo," an old voice from who I haven't from for the longest time answered.

"Tetsu?" I turned to my right side to find my old friend sitting there.

"Yamigata is a samurai from the Cho Shu area, he hasn't seen the frontlines too much as he prepares most of the battle strategies for the Ishin Shishi," Tetsu informed us. "I heard that man has been learning some tactics and strategies from the Western world, as well as their weaponry, technology, and even culture."

"So then I'm presuming that sword he's carrying is a Western sword then," I turned back to Yamigata's weapon.

"From what I've heard it's called a saber," Tetsu explained, "it doesn't look too durable when compared to our katanas though."

"I see," I nodded as I turned back to the meeting.

"As you all know, the Bakufu have been giving us little trouble lately," Katsura spoke as soon as I turned my attention back to him. "At first we believed that we have had them on the run, but it wasn't until recently that our spies have learned the real reason of our enemies."

"The truth is, most of the Bakufu have been learning to use Western weaponry such as guns and cannons," Saigo continued.

"Nani?!" the word suddenly sprang up from the entire hall, along with mass conversations of panic.

"Silence, all of you!" Saigo ordered.

"From what I've heard one of you individuals managed to sink the ships carrying that technology," Yamigata brought up the Sanada Ninja incident from a few months ago, "it was a person named Himura, correct? Which one of you is Himura?" Yamigata called to all of us.

"That would be me, Yamigata-dono," Shinta raised his hand.

"You're the one who sank the ships?" Yamigata asked my brother.

"No sir, it was my sister, Himura Mina, that it was," Shinta answered, diverting everyone's attention toward me with the point of his finger.

"You're the one Katsura spoke of?" Yamigata asked.

"H...hai," I stuttered, "it was I, but I don't see the real relevance of why you ask this, that I don't."

"I would like to congratulate you on the matter," Yamigata explained, "you were able to set the Bakufu's original plan back by about half a year, if you had not succeeded, our forces would've fallen by now."

"Arigatou, Yamigata-dono," I bowed.

"Anyway, that technology has returned to Japanese shores," Saigo continued, "the Shogunate had changed the new shipment's destination to Edo so our forces wouldn't be able to learn of their plans until recently. The new weaponry has just arrived in Kyoto about a week ago, when the patrol units of the Shinsengumi dropped. We have learned that all the weaponry is being stored in the country fields north of Kyoto, we don't know the exact location."

"Your mission is to find where these weapons are being stored and to bring back as much as you can to our forces or to destroy them," Katsura explained, "we don't have much time, so we must all act starting now. Travel in small groups in order to cover more ground."

"I have a question, sir," Shion raised her hand, "if we need to destroy the weapons, just how would we go about doing that?"

"Western gunpowder is the same as Japanese gun powder," Yamigata explained, "simply set the powder on fire to cause the weapon to explode, the explosions should cause a chain reaction that would destroy every rifle and cannon they have in their possession, but be sure to be a great deal away before the powder actually explodes."

"Understood," Shion nodded.

"Okay people, let's move out!" Saigo ordered and suddenly I found myself being pushed outside along with the masses of soldiers.

Unlike the rest of our men, Shinta, Tetsu, Shion and I didn't run to the north as soon as we reached outside, the four of us just stood in the entrance of the inn devising a plan on what to do.

"So it seems like they were just toying with us this past week huh?" I asked as I took a puff of my pipe.

"Yeah, it does explain quite a bit," Tetsu agreed.

"Hey Mina, do you remember that fight you told me about that you had with Saito a few months back," Shion reminded me of my battle with the Wolf on my birthday of that year.

"What about it?" I asked as I tapped the contents out of my pipe.

"I recall you told me that another Shinsengumi soldier had told Saito something like 'it's time' before he left the duel," Shinta reminded me.

"Now why are you guys bringing this up?" I was left clueless on what they were talking about.

"Mina-san, what Kenshin-san and Shion-san are trying to say is that perhaps a majority of the Shinsengumi were sent to Edo that month in order to train with the Western weaponry, or something like that," Tetsu explained.

I gave it some thought for a moment. Tetsu must've been right because I couldn't recall ever running into or seeing Saito or Okita during any of my patrols since that incident, as well as any other key patroller in the Shinsengumi.

"If that's true, then the Shinsengumi might be patrolling with Western guns now," I concluded, "and if the shipment has reached Kyoto, then all of the Shinsengumi could be carrying these weapons by tonight."

"That's right," Shinta nodded, "so we have to act quickly."

"But where will we start looking?" Tetsu began to wonder.

"Yamigata-sama said that fire is the key to destroying the weapons," Shion brought up, "so I'm sure that accidents are bound to happen when the Bakufu are practicing, so in case there were an accident, they would need water to put it out, and a large source of water would be needed if a chain reaction were to occur."

"In other words they need to have their base by a river or a lake," I summed up Shion's words.

"And Lake Biwa isn't too far from Kyoto," Tetsu added, "so the weapons must be stored in the Southern part of Lake Biwa."

"We should head to Lake Biwa as soon as possible, that we should," Shinta suggested before taking off.

"Hey, wait up," I ran after Shinta as Shion and Tetsu followed close behind.

Lake Biwa was in the same location of Otsu, the very same place Shinta had told me about where he had lived with Tomoe a year ago. I'm sure it must've been difficult for Shinta return there after a year of absence. He didn't seem to display any sadness or anything once we had arrived, he simply wore his serious expression. At first I thought this was Battousai that was currently in his body, but looking into his eyes, they were their usual lavender color so there was no reason to worry. The sun was beginning to set as soon as we arrived, the entire sky was a bright crimson, the clouds had lost their white complexion, replaced with a yellowish-orange tint. It didn't take long for us to find the weapons base, all we had to do was ask some villagers about it, and the first person we asked knew what we spoke of. I guess the old man that told us didn't like the Shogunate too much if he told us the exact location. The location was very close to the lake, on it's beach in fact, below a small hill. It was very easy to spot the weaponry, who could miss the large black pipes of the cannons atop of the light grayish sands of Lake Biwa.

'So this is what Misanagi was going after,' I thought to myself as I witnessed some of the Wolves firing the rifles into a circle of canvas perched on the rocks.

"We should wait until nightfall before we act," Shion suggested, "in the meantime we should devise a plan."

"Yeah," Tetsu nodded.

Not wanting to risk getting caught, the four of us went to the closest inn and got a room for the day. It took us until nightfall to devise a plan, although it was a very simple one now that I think about it. The plan was very simple, Shinta and I would simply take care of the guards in front as Shion and Tetsu went in and try to steal some of the guns. Shion would take care of any guards that came their way as Tetsu carried as many weapons as he could. Once Tetsu was in a safe range, Shion would set fire to the gun powder as Shinta and I cleared a path for her to escape. Sounded easy, but it was harder to act on than it was to plan.

Luck was on our side that evening, there was no moon. Blackness engulfed had engulfed the entire village, not a flicker of light, even the inside of the houses were pitch black. It was cold that evening as well, ice was practically frozen over my eyes, it was too cold to blink. We had trouble heading back to where the guns and training area were, each one of us tried our best not to trip over the old logs and loose rocks when we dashed over there. When we came within close range of the storage area, light had painted over the black canvas, faint images of three men in the front of the base stood before the dancing colors of red, orange, and yellow. Each of them were holding an object I had never seen before. It had a long tube made of metal and at one end there was a large hilt. There was some kind of curved device where the tube and hilt met, as if a finger could pull on it. It didn't take me long after I got a good look of the device to figure out what it was; a gun.

"Does everyone remember the plan?" Shinta asked the three of us as we huddled within the darkness.

"Yeah," we all nodded.

"Remember, stealth is of the utmost importance," Shinta reminded Shion and Tetsu.

"Hai, leave it to us, Kenshin-san," Shion nodded as she and Tetsu took their places.

"Mina, are you ready?" he turned to me after.

"Hai," I nodded, taking a small pebble into my palm.

I took a short glance at the tiny stone, tossing it in the air and catching it in my palm a second later, I did this about three times until my wrist decided to flick it in the direction of the guards.

"Hm?" one of the guards awoke from the drowsy posts.

The pebble was merely a foreshadow of what followed next; a barrage of debris newly cut from the earth thanks to my Do-Ryu-Sen attack. The giant rocks quickly found their way into the chests of two of the men, a flood of red erupting from their chests as the debris buried themselves into the bone. The remaining guard pulled out a small silver rod from his sky blue coat, quickly bringing it to his lips. A loud screech emitted from the small tube, and suddenly an inferno of light, each flame held by one of Mibu's Wolves, poured into the entire area where Shinta and I stood. Everywhere I looked, every crevice of my eye had spotted at least one of those dogs, all I could see were their bright blue furs and steel fangs, each that seemed to have been rusted due to lack of quenching their swords' thirst for blood.

"You kids shouldn't have come here," one of the wolves spoke as Shinta and I stood our ground.

"Che, don't lecture us old man," I spat at the wolf.

"Why you little...!" the slab of steel on his arms began to pull back.

The metal curve sprang forward without warning, it's fine tooth flying in the direction of my eye. It was so predictable; before he could even blink I was able to release my katana from it's oak restraint. He stood there frozen for a moment as I stood there with one hand on my sheath and the other pointed to the east with my arm fully extended. The second I moved again, a small river of ruby began to slide down his temple, and a web of dark lines began to etch onto his rusted blade. Another second passed, suddenly his sword was split in two and a fountain of blood began to emit from a newly formed crater between his eyes.

"How the hell...?" I overheard one of the wolves' reactions as they all stood frozen.

"How can a girl...?" was another reaction I heard.

"You idiots, those aren't any ordinary kids, it's the Battousai and Kensai," one of the wolves finally realized.

There was a mixed reaction between the Wolves once they learned of Shinta and my identities. Some began to pull back, other began to lurch forward, and I believe I heard a few run off calling for the mothers. I wanted to make short work of these men, so I had to let Kensai bask in this bath of blood. I took little time to remove the boundary between our psyches, the soft silk easily slid in the gaps of my fingers as I pulled one end of the material, freeing my hair and the monster within me. She wasted little time to begin as she swung my katana at the closest Wolf. A splash of crimson illuminated the entire area for a brief moment, and again, another look of disbelief on their faces.

"Heh," Kensai grinned as the sound of Shinta's blade sliding out of it's case echoed into my ear.

"Kyah!" Shinta yelled, triggering Kensai and him to spring forward into the fray at the same time.

The cold steel of my katana placed it's sharpened tongue at the base of the closest Wolf's neck, the icy metal sucked away the elixir that gave him life within a matter of seconds. Two Wolves from the north attacked next, their blades striking downward in unison as they raced for my skull. The metal met with the remains of their already dead ally as Kensai moved the corpse in their direction with the swing of my blade and arms, shielding herself from the onslaught. Her foot met with the abdomen of the dead soldier, pushing all of her force into the kick so that the corpse would lay among two of it's allies. The two Wolves fell on their backs an a flash of steel quickly followed the direction of their fall; the two never got up again as they lay with their dead ally. Left and right, up and down, Kensai swung my blade in every direction, and wherever my blade flew, a wave of red would follow. I couldn't keep track of time as this all happened, but it seemed to have taken only a few minutes until Shinta and her were standing before a wasteland of corpses.

"Is that all?" Kensai said disappointed as she returned the barrier of our minds to it's proper place.

"Judging from how long it took us to defeat the guards, I'm sure that Shion-dono and Tetsu-dono must be heading out of the base right now, that they are," Shinta said as he turned to the Wolves' den.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "Doesn't gun powder explode when lit on fire? I don't see any explosion."

The next thing I know, Shinta and I are suddenly thrown into the air as a large blast of fire bursts from the Shinsengumi's training ground. Pain suddenly shot into my face and body as the icy ground caught my fall, luckily I was able to ignore it and return to my feet in the next second.

"Are you okay, Mina?" Shinta asked as he returned to his feet.

"Hai," I answered, brushing the dirt away from my face.

The entire place was set on fire, but Tetsu and Shion were nowhere to be found. I instantly knew that something had gone wrong. I tried to run into the inferno, but Shinta stopped me with a wave of his hand.

"What are you doing, Shinta?" I gave him a puzzled look. "We have to go in there and help Shion and Tetsu!"

"They'll be out shortly, that they will," Shinta assured me, "just wait a moment."

We did wait for a moment, and there was still nothing. The only things that left that blaze were burning pieces of lumber and grass and some soon-to-be charred Wolves. I'm Shinta could tell by then that something had gone wrong. I was few up with waiting by now, so I decided to rush in and try and find the two. Shinta tried to stop me again, but I pushed his arm away this time and began to make my way into the inferno. Red, orange, and yellow were everywhere, the three colors burning everything they touched. A few of the flames caught onto my hamaka, but they quickly died out with the brush of my hand. The air grew thin rather quickly, and again my chest felt constrained. The gray clouds caused by the fire began to flow into my lungs, choking me. I turned back to where I thought I had come from, it now seemed to far to travel back to. Things were beginning to go black as my body began to pull toward the ground, but suddenly, it was pulled into the air and suddenly dropped back into the cold ground outside the blaze. My lungs quickly removed the black clouds from my lungs through coughing as my sight slowly returned. I looked upward to find the ones who had saved me, all three of them giving a sigh of relief.

"That was a close one," Tetsu wiped away the liquid dripping from his brow.

"Are you all right, Mina?" Shion asked.

"Hai," I answered with a cough.

"Mina, don't scare me like that!" Shinta said as he put my arm over his shoulder.

"Gomen, Brother," I apologized.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get any of the weapons," Shion apologized to the two of us.

"It's no worry," Shinta assured her, "we accomplished our mission so that's good enough, that it is."

Shinta carried me back to the inn where we had checked in earlier, it was too late to travel back to Kyoto and all four of us were tired from the events that had transpired that evening. True I had regained my breath and consciousness after the blaze, but my chest still felt constrained even when we had returned to our room.

"Mina, are you okay?" Shinta must've realized that I was still having trouble breathing as we climbed the steps to our room.

"It's kinda hard to breath," I answered.

"Did you breathe in too much smoke?" Tetsu asked.

"I think I know what's wrong," Shion said as she walked me into the room, "you two wait out here," she ordered as shut the shoji door.

"So what's wrong with me?" I asked as I took a seat by the window.

Shion didn't say a word as she began to approach me. Her hands suddenly grabbed both ends of my kimono and pulled it down, exposing my upper body. Luckily I had those bandages wrapped around my bust so my breasts weren't exposed at all, but still, it was rather sudden and embarrassing what she had done.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I yelled at her, my arms quickly covering the my bandaged chest.

"Ah ha ha ha, you're so sensitive," Shion chuckled. "Don't worry, I wasn't going to do anything, Mina," she assured me. "All I wanted to do was point out that your bandages are constraining your chest, thus, creating complications in breathing. In other words, if you want to breath as you normally would, you're going to have to remove them."

"You're kidding, right?" I asked.

"Would you rather die in battle from breathing problems?" Shion had me defeated. "Look, it's only natural that this would happen eventually, even if you are as flat as a board."

"I AM NOT FLAT!" I yelled at Shion.

"Not anymore at least," Shion laughed again.

"Her lack of brain cells is at work again," I mumbled to myself.

"But seriously," Shion returned to her serious face, "I recommend that you remove them, you'll feel better with those things gone, not to mention they can sometimes distract the enemy if you know what I mean."

'Kensai sure would enjoy you're way of thinking,' I thought to myself.

"All right, I'll do it," I sighed, "but turn around, okay?"

Shion was always the type to appeal to one's wishes, so with no questions asked, she quickly turned her back to me. With each layer that I unraveled, my breathing slowly began to return to normal. In no time, the linen was now free from my body, now cluttered on the floor. I returned my kimono to it's original place and sat there for a moment practicing my breathing, making sure there were no complications left.

"You can turn around now," I told her.

"Do you feel better?" she asked.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"You men can come in now," Shion called to Tetsu and Shinta as they waited outside.

"So what was the problem?" Tetsu asked as he and Shinta entered the room.

"Can't you tell?" Shion asked the two with a small giggle in her voice.

"I don't see a difference," Tetsu scratched his head.

I turned to Shinta to see his reaction. Was it just me, or were there bright spots of red filling up his cheeks. Within seconds, he quickly turned his head to the side, shielding half of his blush away from me.

"Well then, I'm going to go take a bath," Shion yawned, "Mina, why don't you come with me?"

"Hai," I said as I followed her out the door.

As I passed by Shinta, he did not say a word, he didn't even take a second to look at me as he usually would. I thought he was just embarrassed that he was actually able to see part of my figure, but I had not figured it out until now that he was really ashamed of me. No, what am I saying, he wasn't ashamed, he was shy. Was he shy, he was...he was... Oh I don't even know how he felt! All I know is this, our red string was beginning to unravel from that moment. Even if I had not done that stupid suggestion Shion recommended, our string would still have unraveled! Dammit, I can't believe I still get emotional from this event, even when I recall it today! Please, just give me a few moments and I'll continue...

Chapter 22 Liner Notes

  
  


A little bit about Lake Biwa- Lake Biwa is a lake a few miles to the northeast of Kyoto, and just as Mina stated earlier in the chapter, the village (I think it's a city now) of Otsu is located on the southwest end of the lake. Lake Biwa is famous for it's fishing spots and makes a good vacation spot, at least that's what I've heard.

  
  


A little bit about women in the Japanese military- During the Meiji Revolution and the wars before it, women were usually not allowed to join the military. In most cases, women would often disguise themselves as men by binding their breasts with bandages to conceal their identities, but of course, this would cause breathing problems just like in Mina's case. As a result, most women would be caught when they removed the bandages and then be kicked out of the military. However, during the Meiji Revolution, women were able to participate in the latter parts of the war as they were running low on soldiers. Many of the male soldiers didn't approve of this and thus, most female soldiers were looked down upon by their male peers. These women were still required to bandage their chests for they thought that doing so would "unsex" them. Of course, not all women followed this term, but there was no punishment for doing so.

  
  


(Next time: "Himura Shinta, how I love him so. I finally have the chance to be with him, just the two of us, my brother and I. No one can get in the way of my love this time, but the only thing that can is his heart..." -Himura Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: Well how was it? Why not leave me a review, and as usual, I don't take flames. I guess I can tell you readers that for the next chapter, there will be no action, it's time for the romance of Mina and Kenshin to bloom. Well, I hope you readers will be looking forward to it, because this story is almost over. About eight more updates and book one is finished. Oh, and suggestions for what should happen later are welcome, as well as questions for Mina herself for my "interview" with her at the end of the story. You can ask her about her acting career, her normal life, and her relationship with Kenshin. She will not answer questions about her love life, spoilers for future adventures, or any question I find unsuitable, I'll be saving some of the questions for her second interview in book 2. Anyway, that's it for now, later!


	26. Don't You Love Me?

Author's Note: I don't know what to say to you readers except this, this book is turning out longer than expected so maybe it'll be finished after more than ten updates, maybe about fifteen. Well, there's no action in this one, just character development, but it's still required reading if you want to understand the story. Well, let's get to the story now.

  
  


Chapter 23: Don't You Love Me?

  
  


The bath was very warm despite the cold weather outside the bathhouse. Steam had enclosed the entire house in white clouds, it was very soothing. Only Shion and I were occupying the tub at the moment, the of us had not said a word to each other since we got in, we were too immersed in the hot spring-like pool.

"You love him, don't you?" Shion suddenly blurted a few minutes into our bath.

"Whom do you speak of?" I asked puzzled.

"Your brother, or course," Shion answered as she pushed her back away from the wall.

"...hai, I do," I nodded, my eyes beginning to linger into the clear pool below us.

"I know it's none of my business, but why your own brother, that's just...," I held up my finger before her lips before she can say another word.

"We're not blood-related if that's what you're thinking," I told her, "he adopted me a year ago."

"Oh, then it's okay then," Shion said as she plopped back into the pool.

"I've been in love with him ever since we met three years ago," I reminisced, "it was fate when we met. A simple farmer's daughter and a samurai, I thought that only couples such as those could only occur in novels, but alas..."

"This is a side of you I've never seen, Mina," Shion interrupted me, "but let me correct you on your little silique, your brother is not a samurai."

"I know, but still...," I couldn't help but sigh as my thoughts of my brother continued to linger back to my head.

It was rather silly of me to act the way I did in there, but to tell you the truth, whenever Shinta wasn't around, I would always fantasize about him. Whether it was in our room, out in town, or even in the bath, I would think about the two of us. I would think about the day we met, the times we spent together, and the lives we could share together in the future, as well as other things I don't want to share with. No you perverts, I would never act out those scenes with myself or anything!

"Is he aware of how you truly feel?" Shion asked seconds later.

"I don't think so," I answered.

"Then why don't you tell him?" Shion asked.

"I...I can't," I answered. "Whenever I try to tell him how I truly feel, something else comes out of my mouth or my heart would try to leap out of my chest and prevent me from telling him."

"But do you know if he loves you in that way?" Shion continued her questions.

"This is like a police interrogation," I groaned, "but I'm not sure to be honest. He holds my hand when we go out sometimes, he lets me rest on his shoulder, we cuddle when we sleep sometimes, and he kisses me good night sometimes. I know that siblings do that with each other if they care for one another, but I'm not sure what kind of love is behind it when Shinta does it."

"Shinta?" Shion looks at me puzzled.

"Oh, I mean Kenshin, I'm sorry," I quickly covered up my last sentence.

I forgot at that moment, Shinta didn't want me to call me him by his real name when others were around, it was supposed to be our little secret. Our little secret, I can't exactly call it that anymore today. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself, I'm sorry, it's just that this incident is very hard for me to tell because of what happens later.

"I think I know how you can get him to express your true feelings for him," a smirk suddenly stretched across Shion's face.

"Are you implying that I seduce him because I have no intention of doing so!" I yelled at Shion, disgusted.

"Of course not!" Shion gagged. "That would be the last piece of advice I could give you! It's rather simple, just ask him to accompany you to town. Lead him to a secluded area and watch the stars with him. The stars are always the key to unlocking the true feelings of another, that's how Keisuke was able to admit his feelings for me..."

"It was?" I asked, interested in her tale.

"Hai," she answered, her smile slowly melting, "we were twelve at the time. It was a cold winter evening just like this one, I was ready to go to sleep but Keisuke suddenly called me from outside, he said he wanted to talk. Of course, I went outside so we could talk and the two of us went on a little walk. He lead me to a small cliff near the city limits, there was nobody there, the entire area was empty. We looked at the stars for hours, admiring each of those bright dots. We must've looked at every one of those lights at least twice that night. When I was beginning to succumb to slumber, I decided to call it a night. As I began to leave, Keisuke stopped me and admitted his love for me at that moment. It was one of the happiest moments of my life because for the longest time, I too, had secretly harbored feelings for him. I still have those feelings, you'd think that after all these years I...," her voice began to break as clear rivers began to flow down her cheeks.

"Gomen, I didn't mean to bring it up," I apologized.

"No, it's all right," she sniffed as her fingers wiped away the translucent fluid, "anyway, we should get you ready for your little date."

We got out of the tub shortly after our conversation. The first thing I needed were some decent clothes. I sure as hell couldn't use the kimono I wore today, that thing was totally drenched in blood thanks to Kensai's doing and it was charred here and there. Luckily the inn gave it's customers free kimonos, we decided to take advantage of this deal. Shion picked out for me a nice white kimono with a violet belt and lining, as well as a long blue scarf that came with it. It fit perfectly on me, and it was just as comfortable too. The next thing we had to do was fix my hair.

"What's wrong with my hair?" I asked after putting on my new outfit.

"It's giving you the impression of a little girl, that's what," Shion answered, "here, why don't we just take this ribbon off and..." Shion's hand began to inch for the dark lavender material.

"No!" I quickly turned away so her fingers before her fingers could grasp it.

"What's wrong, it's just a..." Shion tried to reach for it again.

"Don't touch it!" I ordered her.

She was unaware at the time that the ribbon was the barrier between Kensai and I. There was no way I could let Shion free her at the moment, especially with the location we were in, I knew what sick fantasies Kensai had in mind for my friend.

"Okay then...," Shion looked at me oddly after my reaction.

"Can't we just set it down?" I asked Shion, not wanting to remove the silk that kept Kensai in check.

"We can do that," Shion said, pulling my hair down so that it was resting on my lower back, but with the ribbon now binding my hair at my neck's level. "We might also want to do this," Shion said as she freed some of my hair from my ribbon so that it covered my ears. "Perfect," Shion smiled after, "you're all set."

"Arigatou," I nodded after.

"Good luck to you," Shion said as I made my way back to our room.

The idea seemed like a very good one, this was one of those few occasions during the Revolution in which I could act as a woman. Before I knew it, I was standing outside the doorway, my heart already trying to jump out of chest. I placed my hand over it for a second only to feel something around that area. I reached into that part of my kimono to find a small bottle with some kind of perfume inside it.

"White plum," I recognized the scent after popping it's cork.

I thought this would help flesh out my appearance more, so I decided to apply some. I poured some of the liquid into my palm, patting the substance against my neck in the next second. The fragrance tamed my nerves for the moment, allowing me take hold of the door and slide it to the side. I glanced around the room until my eyes spotted my brother in the corner, his eyes focusing on the wall in the opposite corner.

"Shinta," I called to him.

"Oro?" he turned to me.

I never seen his widen so much when he saw me at that moment. Those lavender pupils were left unshielded as he stared, his jaw practically touching the floor as his eyes trailed up and down, admiring my figure. I know for a fact he was admiring it, even when I was living that moment, I could tell from the look in his eyes.

"Can you escort me into town, Shinta?" I asked him.

"H...hai," Shinta stuttered.

Unfortunately all the shops and everything were closed at the time, we didn't really have anywhere to go. The two of us just went for a walk instead, the lack of the moon didn't ruin the mood though. At the very moment we stepped out the door, Shinta took a hold of my hand, clasping it tightly in his own. It was one of the fewest times he had ever taken my hand first, it was usually me that would take a hold of his first. I looked into his eyes the moment he touched my hand, a smile was stretched across his face, this one different from the one he usually wore. I don't know how to describe it, his smile looked the same as it always did, but there was just something behind it that made it feel different, a feeling of warmth and security. The two of us treaded down the roads of the village, not saying a word, the two of us just smiling at each other as we walked. We eventually came to one of the lake's many shores, stopping before the area where the icy water had met the barren shore. The stars, they were as bright as ever that evening, even without the moon's pale glow. Each of those lights seemed to have doubled thanks to the reflection of the translucent pool just before our feet, the entire evening was within the grasp of the stars.

"They're beautiful," Shinta suddenly broke the silence, his eyes fixated on the sparkles in the sky.

"They are," I turned to my brother for a second before I turned my attention back to the sky.

If I had stared at that sky for a second longer, I'm sure I would've gone blind, but that didn't happen, instead, my eyes suddenly fell forward when another body began pressing against my own. His arms were tightly wrapped above my chest, his breath breezing before my ear, and his cheek nuzzled against my own. The words that escaped his lips after would forever change my life.

"They're not as beautiful as you though," Shinta whispered.

"Is this a dream?" I asked myself, losing the barrier between reality and fantasy for a moment.

"Is it?" his lips suddenly pressed against my neck, suckling against my skin for a few tender seconds. "If it is, I don't want to wake up."

'It's not a dream,' I thought to myself as the kisses continued trailing down my neck, 'it's definitely real!'

"Shinta...," his name barely escaped my lips as his mouth met with my collar.

"Do you love me?" he asked with the breath he took after that kiss.

"Hai," I answered, my eyes turning to his, "Shinta, for the longest time I..."

His lips suddenly sucked in my words as they suddenly locked with my own. His mouth began fighting with my own, nibbling against the other's tender skin, our tongues wrestling one another as they struggled to suckle the honey taste that rested before our throats. I began to pull my mouth back for a moment, only to have it drawn back in as Shinta's tongue had lassoed it with my own. His hands began to drift to my hip, his palms lay flat against them as my fingers took hold of his shoulders. It was heaven, how I wished that moment could never end, I wish I can relive that moment.

"Mina!" Shinta suddenly pulled his lips away from mine.

"Shinta?" I was left puzzled by his sudden withdrawal.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," he suddenly apologized.

He seemed frantic at the time, very shocked. That expression on Shinta's face, it was one I don't think I have ever seen before that moment. It was regret. I asked myself why he had regretted our kiss, our only embrace, was it because I wasn't beautiful in his eyes, or was it something else?

"Sorry, for what?" I asked, trying to act as if I didn't see the regret in his eyes.

"That outfit and that fragrance," Shinta began to explain, "they're the same as Tomoe's."

Tomoe, just the sound of that dead woman's name shattered my heart. Tomoe, how I hate the one who had loved my brother before I. No, it's not fair to hate her, she had been in the picture long before me.

"I'm sorry, Mina," Shinta apologized again, "it will never happen again."

"Yeah...," I remained frozen, trying to recollected the broken pieces of my heart, "it won't..."

My brother didn't say a word after that, with much haste he began treading back to the inn. I remained in the glimmer of the stars, the fragments of my heart now scattered, broken. Tears began to fill my eyes, whimpers took hold of my voice. My lips had begun to stutter, yet no words had escaped them, and my soul, it felt as if it had been torn from my being. I was standing before the stars and heavens, my eyes burning, my mouth dry, and my heart broken. No, I was no longer standing after he left, my legs felt as broken as my heart, my knees barely supporting me as the remains of my soul slipped from my cries and tears. I was broken, and I have been for the longest time... Shinta, how could you say that, how could say you love me? You stole my heart and shattered it with your lips, that one word had destroyed everything. Tomoe... Shinta, how could you? How could you...? Excuse me for a minute, but I think I have something in my eye...

Chapter 23 Liner Notes

  
  


(I don't think I have anything to explain here...)

  
  


(Next time: "My eyes are burning, my mouth is dry, my voice whimpers, and my heart is shattered. The string has unwound, the two of us are now pulled even further from each other, and with that, pulling my reason to live away..." -Himura Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: Pretty sad huh? Well, why not take some of that sadness off your chest by leaving me a review, and as usual, no flames. It was rather difficult for me write this chapter, I'm not good at this drama stuff, but I hope the end result was good. I don't have much else to say, just watch out for the next update, it will be the last time we see Kenshin ever again in this book.


	27. The String is Taut

Author's Note: All right guys, this is the most important chapter for 'Crimson String' Book I. The events that transpire in this chapter will develop the plot for the other two books. Care to find out what happens, then by all means, read on and find out...

  
  


Chapter 24: The String is Taut

  
  


It had been about a week after Shinta's lips had met with mine, a week since he last spoke with me. Shinta never opened his mouth when I was around anymore. We still shared the same room, yet with all the silence, it felt as if our family was torn apart, as if I was living with a stranger. During the day, Shinta and I would normally train together and speak with one another, but not anymore. At every opportunity I would try and speak with him, he would simply turn his attention elsewhere. Even at night, he no longer wished me good night or kissed my cheek, he would simply lay in his futon until he fell asleep. That week was a living hell from me, I could feel our red string slowly unwind with every second that passed, we were probably worlds apart by the end of the week. Finally, after nine days of silence, he spoke with me once more. The day was January 3, Western year 1867, this day was perhaps the most dreadful day I would ever live through...

I was returning to my room after another session of training. With Shinta no longer training with me, I usually sparred with the other soldiers, though they were never as skilled as Shinta or me. About halfway through the hall to my room, a tight grip suddenly fell upon my shoulder. I stood frozen for a second after that touch got a hold of me, normally I would retaliate, but something in the back of my mind told me not to. My head slowly veered it's way behind me as the rest of my body followed it's turn. To my surprise, it was Shinta, and for what seemed like the longest time, he was finally wearing his usual smile.

"Hello Mina," Kenshin greeted me, acting as if what happened at Otsu never happened.

"Shinta," I nodded, turning back to my room in the next second.

"Um, Mina, there's something I would like to talk with you about...," Shinta's words suddenly stopped me in place.

"Make it quick," I ordered.

I had little patience after what he had done to me that evening, my blood would sometimes boil if I saw him during that week. Still, there was always a part of my heart that wanted to speak with him, to have things go back to the way they were before.

"About that night a week ago...," I could tell he was still not comfortable bringing up the subject, his eyes were averted to the floor as his hand scratched the back of his neck.

"Go on," I turned back to face him.

"I'm sorry for thinking that you were Tomoe," he apologized.

"Is that all you wanted to say?" I quickly whipped my entire body back around.

"Mina, what I'd like to ask you is...," his voice began to break, "is..."

"Look, I have no time for this," I groaned as I began to make my way back to my room.

"What I want to ask you is if you'll accompany me to dinner tonight?" the words quickly escaped his lips, locking my knees in place in the process.

'Did I hear that right?' I thought to myself. 'Did Shinta just ask me out to dinner? Baka, he just wants to go out as brother and sister, that's all. That's all he ever wanted in this relationship, a sister, and nothing more.'

"And what if I refuse?" I asked, my back still facing him.

"Please," Shinta practically begged, "I'm asking you to join me, not as my sister, but as something else..."

"Something else?" I paused for a second. "Oh, I see, you just want to go out as friends, is that it?!" I spat.

"No, it's just that...," Shinta began scratching his neck once more, "I want you to join me for dinner, not as my friend and not as my sister, but as something more."

Something more, there was nothing else that came into my mind when he said those words. Nothing that would degrade me anymore, at least. It didn't take me long to realize this, but Shinta just asked me out on a date. A real date I must add. My brother must've finally realized the feelings I really had for him at that moment, and for the longest time in what seemed like an eternity, I was happy.

"Just what do you have in mind?" I asked, pretending not to sound interested.

"I was thinking we could go eat dinner, watch the stars, and maybe go out for a walk," Shinta answered, "just the two of us."

"Oh really?" I began to make my way back to my room.

My body began to pull back as my legs moved forward, my fingers seemed to have been drawn by another. I turned back to my hand, to find Shinta's fingers wrapped around my own. His touch was so soft yet firm, it was so warm that my heart had began beating as fast as a windmill turning during a storm. My face suddenly began to burn, I could see the different shades of red and pink in my cheeks as I turned to his luscious lavender eyes. With a pull of his arm, I suddenly found my body clinging to his own, my left hand clinging to his shoulder as my right behind his back.

"Really," the word barely escaped his lips.

"Shinta...," I found my lips suddenly drifting toward his.

'This can't be a dream,' I thought to myself as I began to make my way toward the smooth skin, 'this can't be another mistake. Kenshin is going to kiss me, ME, not Kensai, and not Tomoe, but the real me. Oh Shinta...,' my eyes began to shut just as our lips were about to meet.

I could feel his breath already pressing against my face, growing thinner and thinner with every inch our faces drew in together. Our mouths had suddenly halted before an invisible barrier, both of us waiting for the other to make the first move. An eternity had passed before my lips dived in, only to be halted once more, not by another invisible barrier, but by the voice of another.

"Battousai, Kensai," one of the soldiers had spotted us from across the hallway, "Katsura-sama is calling all Cho Shu soldiers to the dining hall right now."

"Understood," Shinta called to the soldier.

I don't know if it's just me, but is there always something that gets in the way whenever I'm about to go somewhere with my brother? Fate must really hate me for doing things like this to me, hopefully all these things I've been going through in life will lead me somewhere in the end... Oh, I seem to be getting off subject here...

"Gomen, Mina," Shinta apologized, "but we'll continue this later after dinner, that we will."

Without another word, Shinta hurried downstairs toward the dining hall, leaving me in place with my lips still hanging and my arms still holding where his figure once stood. I was frozen yet again, my heart seemed to have stopped when his form dwindled from my arms. I could still smell the aroma that had surrounded his lips, the taste of his tongue was within my grasp for a second, yet I did not have enough time to get a helping of the sweet nectar. How I wished our lips could've been one just once more, I still wish it to this day, just one more kiss, that's all I want. Is it such a selfish request, a pluck from my brother's lips against my own, is it really that difficult for Fate to grant me such a thing?! Here I go again, getting off subject...

"Shinta...," his name barely slipped through my lips.

I followed my brother to the dining hall soon after, it was once again cluttered with the masses of the Cho Shu Clan. There was hardly any room left for me to sit, I found my shoulders pushing inward as I was smashed between two fellow soldiers, it was not a very comfortable position. I couldn't spot Kenshin anywhere within the room, the entire area was too stuffed with our soldiers, the only face I could make out from all of our men was Katsura's.

"Is everyone here now?" he asked as the soldiers began to settle down. "Okay then, let us get to the heart of the matter. First of all, I'd like to congratulate the Himura siblings on destroying the Western weaponry nine days ago. Arigatou, Kenshin-kun, Mina-kun," he applauded, following with the clapping of the rest of the hall. "Now for the real reason I have summoned you all today. Apparently our spies have learned that the weaponry stationed in Otsu was merely a diversion, that was only a small fraction of the enemy's new arms."

"Nani?!" the word suddenly sprang up in the hall at the same moment, followed by the panics of some of the men.

"Silence, all of you!" Katsura ordered everyone using the top of his lungs. "Just because the enemy has Western technology doesn't mean it's the end for our clan. It appears the majority of the shipment is still in Edo, the supply of weapons is slowly being brought into Kyoto, five cannons a day, along with twenty rifles. The first delivery of these weapons begins today, the entire Cho Shu Clan will participate in this mission, the Satsuma Clan will be busy taking care of our patrol tonight so I'm afraid we won't have any back up for this one. I want everyone to prepare now, we don't know when the shipment will arrive, now go!"

With the word 'go', I suddenly found myself being dragged with the crowd toward our weapons storage. I had no need to get any equipment from the storage, I always carried my daisho with me, so I left the storage area as soon as possible and headed back to my room.

"After all I've done to try and get rid of those damn things they just keep coming back," I grumbled as I slid the door to my room open.

I was angry, angry about how all the efforts I made to try and get rid of this weaponry were futile. The first time was that night before Kodomo-No-Hi, the same night I had my first encounter with Misanagi and the Sanada Ninjas. I had sunk the ship carrying those guns and cannons, burying them deep within the sea, but that didn't seem to do the trick. Then it was one week ago when I tried to prevent that technology from entering our country again, this time the weapons were burned to ash, and it still wasn't enough. Western weaponry, how I hate it, all it can do is destroy our country even more. What am I talking about, I hate every kind of weaponry! I hate anything that has to do with war, guns, swords, cannons, soldiers, everything! All I've ever gotten from fighting was pain and suffering, and I've given even more to others because of my actions. All war can bring about is destruction and death, no good can ever come out of it! Here I go again, I'm getting off subject once more... I'm sorry, let me continue with my story.

My anger quickly melted away, however, as I found my brother sitting by the balcony, tightening the guards around his wrists. He was wearing his serious expression as he strapped the leather around his arms, Shinta would always wear it if he thought a big battle was about to be fought and this would be a big battle, a battle that would make a huge impact on the war effort, and on my life.

"Oh, Mina," Shinta quickly put on his usual smile once he realized I was at the door.

"Here we go again," I sighed as I took my place at the table.

"I know," Shinta chuckled as he finished fastening his guards, "it never ends, does it, Mina?"

"God I'm so fucking tired of this," I groaned as my face fell flat against the oak surface before me, "when the hell is it all going to be over?"

"...I don't know," my brother answered.

"Say Shinta," I turned toward him with my chin still resting against the table, "what are you going to do when this is all over?"

"What am I going to do?" my brother repeated. "To tell you the truth, Mina, I want to become a rurouni."

That was the first time I've ever heard the word 'rurouni' come from my brother's mouth. Before I had met my brother, I thought a 'rurouni' was simply another vagabond who wandered aimlessly, fighting for no reason as he traveled from village to village, but when I heard Shinta say he wanted to become one, I knew there was much more to a 'rurouni' then being a simple wanderer.

"A rurouni you say?" I asked, placing my palms underneath my chin.

"Hai," he nodded, taking his place across the table from me. "I want to become a wanderer, one who helps people without the use of my sword. I want to help people with their problems, help them live through their lives, and I want people to be happy."

"But aren't you already doing so?" I asked.

"In a way, I am," Shinta answered, "but the way I'm helping people right now also comes with a price. As I use my sword to help the innocent, I also injure the innocent. I injure them by killing their brothers, their fathers, cousins, sons, their family that rests on the battlefield. I want to help people without causing them harm as a result. Do you understand, Mina? My master tried to teach me this before I left my training three years ago, but I never understood what he meant before I came here and began fighting in this war. There are times when I'm proud of what I have done, yet there are times when I am ashamed. I am ashamed by the pain of caused, of the families I've torn apart, I don't want anymore to suffer from my actions. That is the reason why I want to become a rurouni, Mina, that it is...," I noticed a crack in his voice.

This speech, it had made my brother break into tears. I could only watch as the translucent rivers ran down his face, I could only listen to the whimpers that had escaped his mouth, and I could only sulk as I found myself saddened by the points he had made.

"Shinta...," I placed my hand over his, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's all right, Mina," Shinta sniffed, "I wanted to share this with you. Now that you have asked me what I want to do, may I ask you the very same question?" Shinta said as the back of his hand slid across the area below his nose.

It had never occurred to me until that moment that I did not know what I had wanted to do exactly after the Revolution was over. I never really thought about the future back then, I would always think about the present, live only in the moment. The only thing I knew that I wanted at that time was one thing, and that was...

"...I want to be with you," I answered.

"Excuse me?" Shinta said, probably not hearing me the first time.

"I want to be with you, Himura Shinta," I repeated myself. "I want to wander the country with you, I want to have more good memories with you, I want to live with you, and most of all, I want to love you."

I had finally brought myself to profess the feelings in my heart through words. The weight that I carried in my heart had now been dropped, trying to break free now that the constraint of love had been broken. My face was burning once more, I tried averting my eyes from his to try and relieve the sudden tingling within my face. The fire in my cheeks only burned brighter with the touch of his fingers against my cheek. My eyes had drifted toward his again, my heart trying even harder to break free now, and my cheeks searing from the burns that my heart had created.

"I want to love you too, Mina," Shinta smiled.

"Battousai, Kensai," a soldier suddenly knocked on our door, "let's go."

"Hai," Shinta said, quickly taking up his sword.

"I want to love you too, Mina," his words continued echoing in my head.

'Does that mean he really does want to further our relationship?' I asked myself. 'Shinta, you finally realized the feelings I have for you, don't you? Oh Shinta...'

"Mina, let's go," the voice of my brother returned me to reality.

"Right," I nodded.

We had no idea when the delivery was being shipped, the only thing we knew was the path from which it was coming from. It was coming from the south side of the city, the shipment was coming from Osaka. All our troops his within the shrubbery of the fields that surrounded the path from Osaka. The plan was to box in the enemy and then attack, stealing the Western weaponry in the process. It seemed like a good plan, but little did we know, it would have no effect.

We didn't have to wait long for the delivery to arrive, we could hear from practically miles away, that we could. The creaking of the wagon that carried those rifles was very hard to miss, the squeaks the cannons were made were loud enough for a deaf man to hear. Something was wrong, I knew it in the very instant I heard the weapons. I turned to my brother who stood next to me, I could tell by the look in his eyes that he also knew something was going wrong. Before I knew it, the order to attack had filled the area, the grasses of wheat were suddenly tainted with crimson within the next second.

"Mina, let's go!" Shinta ordered a second after.

I found myself charging blindly into the battlefield, freeing my blade from it's oak constraint and plunging it's steel content into the first man that tried to cross my path. I turned to my side to find my brother engaged with several opponents, two locked with his blade and the third going in for the kill as Shinta was distracted by the other two.

"Do-Ryu-Sen!" I screamed as I struck the ground with my blade in the attacker of my brother's direction.

The sharpened rubble flew into the bodies of my brother's attackers and five more of their colleagues, impaling them to the scarlet-rich ground. I turned back to my brother once that deed was done, a smile plastered on his face to assure me of his condition. I had little time to admire that smile as we quickly found ourselves back to work. Just as I had turned around again, I found my katana locked once more with another dog of the Bakufu. I had gotten accustomed to such fights now, I simply sighed as my left hand drifted toward my sword's sheath, my fingers quickly wrapped around it and quickly brought it upward, bashing the man's skull. He drifted toward the side for a moment, his head leading the way. I had to free him of his pain, and I did so with a thrust of my sword to his heart. The man died without a sign of anguish, and didn't display any as I hurled his corpse back at his comrades with a swing of my sword.

A loud bang suddenly filled the area, one I had heard one week ago. I instantly knew what the sound came from; a rifle. I spun my head around to the source in the next instant to find two of my allies standing next to me suddenly fall before my eyes. There was not a trace of a blade's scratch or cut on their bodies, yet there were small craters on each of them, oozing with the ruby elixir of life. I quickly turned back to the source of the rifle, finding the barrel's black gaze suddenly focusing on me. Out of instinct, my legs suddenly pushed downward, launching me into the heavens as my sword began to lead my path as I plummeted back toward the earth.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Tsui-Sen!" I screamed just as my steel slab found a itself in the newly engraved slit in the man's skull.

Before I knew, our forces suddenly found themselves being overrun. I found myself suddenly huddled among the masses of the Bakufu, their kimonos tainted red as their blades. Without even having to ready my blade, I sprung forward, my lead leading my path, plunging itself into several of the masses that lay before me. The singing of steel began to echo from the south as my foot propelled the newly-made corpses off my katana, and in the very instant they were to strike my neck, the scabbard of my sword had once again saved my life.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Kan-Sen!" I screamed as I spun my sword along the path of my body.

Just as I had regained the balance I had lost from the spin of the Ryu-Kan-Sen, a splash of crimson suddenly swirled around me. When the red fluid had subsided, I found steel once again coming from all directions, there was no way I could get out of this one and I knew it.

"Shit...," I spat my teeth began to grind against each other.

"Do-Ryu-Sen!" the cry of my brother's attack screamed as blades of earth impaled half of the opposition.

The next thing I knew, a flash of red flew passed me, a slab of metal following close behind it. I turned to where the flash had gone only to find another flood of crimson spraying before me.

"Mina, are you all right?" my brother asked as he whipped away the ruby residue off his blade.

"Hai," I nodded.

Another bang had filled the area after, this one louder than the one from the rifle. A loud thud had followed seconds after, along with the screams of many soldiers. Again I had turned to the source, only this time, it was not a gun I found, it was something bigger.

"A cannon...," I turned to the large metallic barrel.

"There's too many of them!" I heard one of my fellow soldiers scream.

"Everyone, fall back!" Katsura's voice echoed throughout the entire area. "Retreat!"

Even as my allies began to make their way out of the battlefield, I had remained. My eyes were fixated on that jet black metal, spots of rust were sprinkled nearly everywhere on it. A giant gap had rested in the center of the barrel, and a large black sphere had rested inside. I was frozen, yet I did not know why, I still don't to this day.

"Mina, come on!" my brother suddenly took me by the arm, dragging me with the rest of our men.

I soon myself running by my brother's side, the screams of rifles were always followed by men. Some of our men would be launched into the air after one of the bangs, along with large clouds of dust. I tried not to look back at the carnage, I only tried looking ahead, no, I wasn't even looking, I had my eyes shut me into darkness the entire time. I was using my brother as my guide, his fingers tightly clenched against mine, tightening with each step we took as we ran. The crashes and bangs began to grow louder as we continued to make our escape, we were in their sights, I knew it. Our feet began to pick up faster, my arm felt as if it were being pulled from it's socket with the new pace we had began using. Dust and rock began to blow beneath our feet five steps later, their aim was improving, what happened next was inevitable.

"Mina!" I suddenly heard my brother cry.

The next thing I knew, the hold of my brother's hand was suddenly stripped away from my own. I could remember the burn of my fingers as our grip was suddenly pulled away. The ground had been pushed away from my feet, I could feel the air slicing against my entire body. A second later, my nose was suddenly pressed against an ironlike surface, then my entire body had been pressed up against it. The last thing I could hear before the sounds had gone deaf was the voice of my brother calling my name.

"MINA!!!!!" was the last thing I could hear.

The next thing I knew, I had found myself in a face full of mud. Liquid was constantly pressing against my back, making my front even more sore than it already was. Slowly I began to press my hands and arms forward, against the quaggy floor, fighting against the rain that had poured down upon my figure. A loud crash had followed as soon as I had returned to my feet, it was different from the ones I heard earlier. This was the sound of thunder, and a flash of lightning had followed it after. The sky was already engulfed in gray and black, I could easily tell that it was now the hour of night, even if the moon was shielded by the dark clouds.

"What happened?" I asked myself as took hold of my throbbing temple. "Where is everyone?"

I began to replay the recent events again in my head. I knew I was running, and then suddenly I found myself being lifted off the ground, the wind blowing against me until the floor had found my body. It took me a while to figure out what had happened. I had come up with this conclusion about a minute later, and that conclusion was that I was caught in the fire of one of the cannons.

"What happened to the rest of the Cho Shu Clan?" I asked myself after.

I turned to where I had last run to find the answer to my question. Mountains of corpses had flooded the land, the wheat that had once been growing in these fields was now either tainted with blood and rain, or strewn across the crimson mud. Various forms of steel lay among the masses of bodies, some slitting the earth while others resting against it.

"Am I the only survivor?" I began to wonder. "No, it can't be!" I practically screamed. "What about the others? What about Katsura? What about my brother?!" my voice began to echo throughout the field. "The inn," I said to myself, "that's it. They're all waiting for you at the inn. Just go the inn and your brother will be waiting for you," I assured myself.

Without wasting another moment, I returned to the city as fast as I could. The streets were flooded with water, I practically slipped with every step I took. The winds began to blow against me once more as I ran down the streets, trying to push me back to the land of the dead. Puddles of rain would try to sink my feet in only to collect in my tabi, adding even more weight to my body. There was no way I would allow these things to stop me, I simply fought against it with all my might. It had been about an hour later when I was just behind the corner to the inn.

"I'm almost there," I told myself, "I'm almost home. Shinta will be there, waiting for me. He'll greet me with open arms and then we'll go out to dinner as planned. Yeah that's right, we'll go to dinner just as...," I suddenly halted once I had turned the corner.

What had laid in front of me was no longer the inn, but a pile of rubble. Tile and lumber had been mounted where my home had once lay, everything was all black and broken. The aroma of charred wood was abundant in the air, I knew in an instant what had happened. My home was burned to the ground, possibly by the same Bakufu troops that we had attacked earlier. I quickly ran to the mountain of rubble, prying out whatever pieces of lumber or tile I could.

"Shinta's in here," I told myself as I pulled two pieces of debris away from the mess, "he's alive, he needs my help! I have to save him!"

I continued prying whatever I could as the rain continued to beat down on me. Despite how much my arms and body ached, I continued. Every now and then I would find household items buried within the debris. I would find pots, vases, tables, and the occasional dish or two, none of these things were in satisfactory condition. Despite the treasures of junk I had found, I could not find a single trace of my brother, nor any other person. I must've been lifting the debris for hours until my body finally collapsed. The puddles of rain and tears had cushioned my fall, but it could not cushion the pain within my heart.

"Shinta...," I cried, "could it be that you are no longer living in this world? No, it can't, I won't accept that fact!" I screamed as I banged my fist against a piece of lumber. "Shinta, please be all right, please be safe...," translucent rivers began flooding down my cheeks.

"Over here, I found one!" a voice I knew all too well echoed from afar.

Splashes had begun to make their way toward me, I made no effort to try and look at the one who had approached me. She was wearing her serious expression that day, she had left her mask of happiness at home. I remember how she placed her hand on my shoulder and that look of concern she wore on her face and in her voice.

"Mina, are you okay?" Shion asked.

I couldn't answer, the tears had filled my entire being, drowning my voice in my throat. My arms and legs were locked in place, I couldn't move, I was too afraid to move. I was afraid that my brother and the rest of the Cho Shu Clan were gone. I just wanted to die right there, but I knew that I couldn't bring myself to commit suicide.

"Mina...," Shion began to inch closer toward me.

I just had to do something now. My legs pushed me toward her, my arms flung around her, my fingers balling against the back of her kimono as my temple met with her shoulder.

"Shion!" I screamed as the tears that filled my entire being began flooding from my eyes and cries.

Chapter 24 Liner Notes

  
  


What are "tabi"?- Tabi are those socks that have a gap in the center that separate your big toe from your little toes. You see shrine priests and priestesses wearing them all the time in anime, along with samurai characters.

  
  


(Next time: "Her brother is gone, she is left alone in the world of violence. No, she is not alone, I am here with her. But... can I just be there for her as a friend and hold back the feelings I have for her, even if she is the one to act out those feelings...? -Azumi Shion)

  
  


Author's Note: Pretty sad huh? I'm sorry to say this, but this is the last chapter we'll ever see Kenshin again in this book. We'll see him again in book II, and a lot more in book III, but for now, I'm afraid he's gone. The story will take an even darker turn from here, expect to see more of Mina's vulgar language and some more violence (nothing extreme like chapters 11-16). Well, tell me what you think by leaving me a review, and as usual, I don't take flames. That's it for now, later.


	28. Blackness Consumes Me

Author's Note: Kenshin's gone (unfortunately), so who can Mina turn to now? Love her or hate her, Shion's role in the story is greater than ever before, hopefully you find her as much of a bitch as when you first read about her. I should also add there's quite a bit of swearing the beginning, but then again, I don't think it really matters, this fic is rated R. I guess that's all I have to say for now, so let's get to the story.

  
  


Chapter 25: Blackness Consumes Me

  
  


Shion had carried me with her after she and her squad found me in the remains of the Cho Shu hideout. I had spent all of my energy crying, I was too tired to move or speak after. The image of my brother continued to flash through my mind as we entered the Satsuma Camp, his voice continued ringing in my ears as Shion brought me to one of the barracks. I was still crying when she set me down on one of the futons, her face showing concern as she turned toward me.

"It's been an eventful day, hasn't it?" she asked me as I continued my sniffling.

"Shion-kun, are you there?" a knock came from the barracks' door. "Saigo-sama would like to speak with the woman that you just brought in during your patrol."

"Tell Saigo-sama that she isn't well right now," Shion called to the man on the other side, "she's... unable to speak at the moment."

With that said, Shion turned her attention back to me. My eyes must've been red from all my crying, and my face was probably swollen.

"There, there, it's okay," Shion said as she wrapped me around her arms, patting my back to help the cries escape.

"My brother and everyone...," I said between my whines, "they're all dead, aren't they?"

"Of course not," Shion tried to assure me as she petted my hair, "your brother wouldn't have died so easily."

"I want to believe that," I sniffed, "but when I got there, there was nothing but rubble. There wasn't a sign of anyone still living in there."

"That doesn't mean your brother didn't escape," Shion said as she tightened her hold on me.

"What the hell do you know?!" I pushed myself away from her hug. "They're dead! All of them! The Bakufu laid waste to the entire Cho Shu Clan today!"

"Mina, calm down, you're only...," Shion tried to console me.

"Only what, huh?!" I spat. "The only fucking survivor?! Yeah, I know that, Shion! I survived because they thought I was dead, you got that?! Dead!"

"Mina, please...," Shion tried to reach for me once more.

"It would've been better off if I died with them!" I screamed.

"Shut up!" her hand struck me across the face soon after. "Don't you ever say that again, do you hear me, Himura Mina?!" she yelled at me as her hands clutched at my shoulders.

"What the hell do you know?!" I snapped pushing her arms away again. "You weren't there when it happened! You weren't there when the Bakufu brought out their cannons and started firing on our men! Where the hell were you?! I'll tell you where you were all right, you were out patrolling the goddamn city, taking it easy while we were out there dying! You don't know jack shit, Shion!"

"WHAT DO YOU FUCKING KNOW?!" I found myself suddenly pushed against the wall. "Who are you to say what I fucking know and what I don't, huh?! You're the one bitching about how everyone's drifting in the goddamn Sanzu right now! And just what makes you think that everyone's dead, huh?! Is it because you found yourself all alone, or was it because you couldn't find your freaking brother in the ruins of the Cho Shu hideout?! Shit, you're just a fucking coward, you know that! Something bad happens and you start bitching about how your brother and the rest of the clan is dead! There is no goddamn way we can know for a fact that they are dead if this just happened today, do you hear me?!" she screamed as she slammed me against the wall once more.

I had succumbed to tears once more after her speech. My legs began to weaken, my entire body slinking to the floor after. I wanted to scream, but only whimpers that would put a dog to shame came. Fingers began to caress my face within seconds, wiping away the translucent rivers that were flowing down my cheeks.

"It's been a very rough day for you, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that," Shion said as she cradled my head, her forehead locked with mine. "Go take a bath, that might put your mind at ease."

"...yeah," was the only word that escaped my lips.

The steam of the hot spring seemed to have dried my tears within seconds after washing my face with the piping hot liquid. Sitting in the translucent pool seemed to have calmed my nerves, though I was still not able to shake the feeling that my brother and the others were dead.

"We're all alone now," Kensai's voice suddenly protruded my thoughts.

"Of all the times you have to show up, why now?!" I yelled, slamming my palm against the pool below me.

"There's no need to get angry," she told me, trying to use a soothing voice, "just enjoy your bath."

"Why are you trying to be all nice to me all of a sudden?" I asked as I sank back into my bath.

"You're all that I have," she answered, "and I'm all that you have..."

"That's nonsense," I spat, "you're not all that I have. I have Shion here with me, and Tetsu too! I don't need a psychopath like you to be around me!"

"You need me much more than you did in the past, Mina," a sudden chill began to crawl up my spine. "You need me with you more often than you ever have before...," I could practically feel her breath blowing against my ear.

I had enough of hearing Kensai's voice, so I decided to end my bath at the very moment. I returned to the changing room soon after with my towel clinging to my soaked body, I hadn't even bothered to dry myself off in the spring area otherwise I probably would've heard more of Kensai's stupid speeches on how I needed her. Upon drying myself off, I turned to the bin where I had placed my clothes.

"What the, where'd they go?" I asked myself as I began to search the other bins for them.

There was no sign of them, someone had taken them, but who? The clothes really didn't matter, I could easily take one of the white kimonos off the wall and use those, but it's the ribbon that mattered. I must've shuffled through each bin ten times before I my hand began to twitch.

"Oh no, not now!" I took hold of my wrist with my other hand.

"Mina, are you already done?" Shion called from outside.

"Shion, where did you put my clothes?!" I asked demoniacally. "What did you do with my ribbon?!"

"Jeez, why are you getting so angry?" Shion asked. "I just washed them, they're drying right now."

"Shit...," I uttered to myself as my entire right arm began to jerk.

The twitching then shot into my legs soon after, my neck began to follow as well, and then my other arm. There was nothing I could do, without that ribbon I couldn't control her. The twitching came to a sudden halt seconds later, I was laying with my back against the wall and my head hung low, and then, without my input, it shot back up. Kensai was in control, and I knew what she had in mind.

Kensai turned to my right hand for a second and pulled it's fingers down using her will. A grin stretched across her face soon after, pulling herself off the floor a second later. She dressed myself in one of the white kimonos that were hanging on the wall, it fit perfectly, not that I cared at the moment.

"Kensai, I know what you're thinking!" I yelled at her. "Don't do it!"

"What are you going to do about it?" she asked me using my lips. "Besides, why should I listen to you?" she smirked as she guided my body back to Shion's room.

It was about an hour when Shion returned to her room, her hair was folded back as water dripped from it's ends. She was wearing a white kimono similar to mine, although it barely clung onto her. She sat down in the middle of the room and reached for the drawer to her side, pulling a comb out of it in the process. She began stroking the cinnamon brown strands with the tool, she must've not seen Kensai, but then again, she was hiding in the dark corner of the room. My image of her grew closer as Kensai barely tapped my toes onto the tatami, her presence was unknown to Shion. She crept closer, and closer, and then, she was right behind her, that was when she acted.

"Boo!" she frightened her with a tap on the shoulder.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" Shion screamed. "Mina, don't you ever scare me like that again!" she ordered Kensai.

"Oh, gomen," Kensai chuckled, "I couldn't help it."

"Well, whatever, you got me," she sighed. "So, are you feeling better?" Shion changed the subject.

"Much," Kensai answered.

"That's good. Mina, be a dear and comb the back," Shion handed her the comb. "Mina..., you're stroking rather hard," Shion said once Kensai had begun, " it's getting my back too. Mina...?" she turned to Kensai's hand only to find the comb sitting on the floor.

"You have nice hair, you know that," Kensai said as several strands glided between my fingers. "It smells like plum," she said as she brought the strands close to my nostrils.

"...arigatou," I couldn't help but notice a shade of red on Shion's cheeks.

"It's so soft," Kensai continued, having my hand drift away from her hair to her neck, "like silk..."

"Mina..., you're tickling me," Shion began to chuckle.

"It looks so creamy," Kensai said as my cheek found it's way to the path her fingers traced.

"Mina...?" Shion began to turn toward me. "Mina!" her head shot up for a moment.

"And it tastes even sweeter," she said between each pluck my lips made against her neck.

"Mina, please stop...!" Shion requested as her cheek met with my temple.

"Why should I stop when you're enjoying this?" Kensai said, placing my thumb and index finger underneath her chin. "Isn't that right?" she grinned, turning Shion to face me.

"Mina..., stop this ri...!" her mouth was quickly muffled with my own.

"Kensai, you sick bitch, get my mouth off of her's!" I ordered.

"But she's enjoying this," Kensai informed me.

It was true, Shion was enjoying this, I saw it when I returned my attention to what Kensai was seeing. Her lips were suckling against my own, her right hand running through my hair as her tongue began to wrestle mine. Kensai was enjoying this little match between the mouths, drawing Shion's back in every time she tried to pull away. I wanted to pull away, but my body wouldn't respond. Finally, Kensai pulled away, leaving a trail of a translucent liquid between our lips.

"Mina, that was...," Shion's face was now red all over.

"Make love to me," Kensai's words suddenly left my lips.

"Nani?!" I screamed, but the words never escaped my mouth. "I don't fucking think so, my first time's going to be with a man! That man will be Kenshin, you got that!" I yelled at Kensai.

"Mina, are you sure?" Shion began to hesitate, her hand clutching one half of her kimono.

"Hai," Kensai nodded as she began to lean forward.

"I don't know," Shion began to turn away, "something's just not right about this..."

"What's not right?" Kensai asked.

"Dammit Shion, run away before she does something and robs both of our..., actually, my virginity!" I wanted to yell.

"This isn't you, Mina," Shion said, "it's like that time you and I fought a few months ago. When you struck me with your blade, it's as if another person in your body was the one who struck me. I know it sounds weird, but I just feel as if that person is here again."

"What makes you say that?" Kensai asked, leaning even closer.

"I don't know," Shion said with the shake of her head, "but when you took your ribbon off back there, your eyes suddenly changed to a yellow tint, and right now, there's small hint of gold in your eyes."

"Is there?" Kensai suddenly sprang forward and engulfed her lips with my own once more.

Shion had a different reaction this time. Instead of indulging herself in the kiss, Shion quickly turned away, trying to push Kensai back. She began to run towards the door, only to be dragged back to the floor with a pull from my arm. Kensai quickly launched my body on top of her's and began panting heavily with a sneer over my face instead of that smile she just wore.

"Don't run," Kensai ordered her, "I know you want this just as much as I do!"

"Not from you!" Shion spat. "You're not Mina!"

"Of course I am, just look at me!" Kensai said between breaths.

"You may look and sound like her, but you're not the Mina I love!" Shion yelled.

"Oh I see, a little game of role play huh?" that dark simper Kensai wore stretched across my lips again. "All right, I see how it is," she made my hand glide down the gap of her kimono.

"Stop it!" Shion ordered, shutting her eyes and turning her face to the side.

"I'll play the role of a rapist and you'll play as my soon-to-be victim," Kensai said as my nail began to trace the mark Saito left on her chest a year ago.

"This isn't a game, this is real, you intend to have both of us play those roles in real life!" Shion yelled at Kensai.

"And what do you intend to do about it?" Kensai chuckled.

"This!" Shion yelled.

The next thing I knew, a strong force had suddenly pressed against my nose, sending Kensai and I back first against the floor. Blood had begun trickling down my face once the pain had begun to subside, it didn't seem to matter too much to Kensai though.

"You bitch!" Kensai spat as she removed some of the scarlet substance with one swipe of my hand.

"Shion, run!" my order suddenly left my mouth.

"Mina?" Shion looked at me oddly for a moment.

"Do it!" I ordered again. "I can't keep her at bay forever, just...!" my voice suddenly cut off.

"I'd start running if I were you," Kensai's voice escaped my lips once more.

Shion did just that, running out of the barracks as fast as she could as Kensai began to chase. It didn't take long until Kensai caught up with her again, grabbing her by the hair she had just combed and using it to throw her back to the floor. Before Shion could return to her feet, her entire body was pinned once more with Kensai clutching her neck.

"If you weren't so good-looking, I'd have you killed on the spot right now!" Kensai said sharply.

"And if you weren't inside my friend's body, I'd kill you on the spot!" another blow suddenly met with my stomach forcing Kensai and I back once more.

The next thing I saw once Kensai had regained our balance was the back of Shion's hand crossing with my cheek. Pain shot through my entire body once more, and it didn't end with that one punch this time. My chin quickly shot upward with another blow, but it was quickly shot back down with a strike to the back of my head with Shion's leg. She didn't seem to hold back after this, her fists repeatedly striking my abdomen and chest area with her foot switching the place of her hand every three punches or so. After about thirty seconds or so of taking a beating, I had been pushed down to the floor from the force that came from Shion's extended arm coming across my neck. Kensai began to crawl back up, only to have one more fist planted against my stomach. After that, things just went black.

I don't know what time it was when I came to. I was greeted by the sound of swishing wind and the crackling of fire. I blinked for a few moments until the area came clear to me; I was in Shion's room again, lying on my side on a futon. Something didn't feel right when I laid there, I wanted to get up, but something seemed to have been holding me down. I looked underneath the covers of my blanket to find my entire body constrained to the floor by ropes.

"What the hell?!" was my reaction to finding my binds.

"Finally awake huh?" I turned to the other side of the room to find Shion. "You still up for a little bit of role-playing?!" she spat as she began to approach me. "How about you be the criminal and I'll be your executioner?!" Shion glared as she grabbed a handful of my hair.

"Shion, don't, it's me!" I panicked.

"Mina?" Shion looked into my eyes. "No, how do I know it's not the other you trying to pull a trick on me?" she tightened her grip.

"Ow!" I flinched. "Shion, that hurts! It's me, Shion, the real me!" I tried assuring her once more.

"No hint of yellow," Shion turned to my eyes once more. "Okay, I'll believe you for now," Shion said as her fingers slowly uncurled from my red strands.

"Arigatou," I nodded.

"Tell me, who was that that tried to attack me back there?" Shion asked with her serious tone of voice.

"It's a long story...," I answered.

It didn't take long for me to tell her about Kensai; who she was, what she did, and even the first time I heard her voice. Shion looked like she understood my situation, but I could tell there was still some doubt in her eyes. I couldn't blame her, I mean, who would believe that there's another soul trapped inside your body, and an evil soul at that.

"I see...," Shion said once I had finished my tale. "So your ribbon somehow contains her consciousness?" she asked.

"Hai," I answered, "that's why I never wanted you to remove it from my hair. I can only take it off when I go to sleep or take a bath, but that's it."

"...such a strange concept," Shion murmured, "but whatever... If you say that your ribbon keeps this 'Kensai' in check, then I want you to wear it at all times," Shion ordered as she removed the purple material from her pocket.

Shion walked to my bed side and sat behind me, grabbing a handful of my hair and placing it to my eye level as she began to put the silk ribbon in place.

"And if you are going to remove it, tell me before hand," Shion added as she tightened the knot.

"Hai," I nodded.

"Now get some rest, Saigo-sama would like to speak to you tomorrow about what happened," Shion ordered as she lay in her futon.

"All right," I nodded again. "Um, Shion?"

"Hm?" she turned back to me.

"Can you get me out of these ropes, I think they're giving my wrists a rash," I asked.

"Hm hm hm hm, all right," Shion smirked and began untying my bonds.

That day was such an eventful day, it was the end of my life with Shinta, the last time I would see him for the longest time. It was also the day that marked a new chapter in my life, a chapter written in shadow and blood.

  
  


Chapter 25 Liner Notes

  
  


(I don't think I have anything to say here.)

  
  


(Next time: "Hitokiri Kensai, the other soul that resides in my body. With my brother gone and my parents long dead, she is my only real family left. Our bond grows stronger as we enter darker realms in the world of violence, strengthening with every drop of blood our blade drinks. I want to pull away from these realms, but she only pushes me farther..." -Himura Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: Well how was it? Yeah, I know Kensai's a sick bitch and everything like that, but hey, it adds some spice to the story don't you think? Anyway, the next chapter's pretty slow, I'm just telling you readers ahead of time. Mina and Kensai have a little heart-to-heart talk in the next chapter, so watch out for it. So for now, why don't you leave me a review, but no flames as usual, all right?


	29. The Beast and I

Author's Note: Almost done, I'm guessing that there will be at least six more chapters until this book is over. I hope you readers have been enjoying the story so far. Anyway, this chapter's pretty slow, but it sets up the action for the next chapter. Without further interruptions, let's get to the story.

  
  


Chapter 26: The Beast and I

  
  


January 4, Western year 1867, that was the day I joined the Satsuma Clan. I woke up to the sound of water dripping, the brightness of the sun seeping into the darkness in my eyes, and a small breeze tickling my nose. I turned to the side when I opened my eyes, and right there, sleeping right next to me, was Shion.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" was my first reaction as I quickly shot up to my feet.

"Huh...," Shion's eyes slowly opened. "Good morning, lover," she winked after.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" I yelled at Shion. "Why were sleeping right next to me, and in the same futon too?!"

"Don't you remember what happened last night?" she asked, her usual smile stretched across her face.

"Oh god, this can't be real," I started chanting to myself, "there's no way I'm no longer a virgin! What will Shinta think when he finds out about this?! Oh my god, I can't believe she took advantage of me..."

"Aha ha ha ha," Shion laughed a second later. "You're so uptight, Mina, I was only joking," she assured me, that stupid grin still perched on her face, "I just slipped into your futon five minutes ago, I didn't do anything, I swear."

"Yeah you did," I grumbled, "you took twenty years off the end of my life."

"Well, then, shall we go get breakfast?" she changed the subject.

"Hai," I nodded, "I am kinda hungry."

I hadn't had anything to eat since the morning before, so yeah, my stomach was grumbling. Shion was the first to exit our barracks, pulling the shoji door to the side with ease. I was able to catch a good glimpse of the camp now. The night before, I was too fixed on my loss that I didn't even bother to look at the camp, I just buried my face in Shion's back. The camp was in even worse condition than it was the last time I came here. Each of the houses and huts looked like they were about to fall apart, there was at least one hole in each one. There was barely any hay on the roofs, the remaining dried grass looked as if it was about to fall off at any moment. The smell of tobacco and dirt was abundant in the air, and the constant hacking of coughs soon followed. As Shion and I made our way to the dining hall, I was able to get a glimpse of most of the men. There was not one who was dressed decently; there was a tear in their kimono's sleeve or hamaka, some didn't even have sleeves on their kimonos, as if it were torn out of place. Each one was wrapped in white linen somewhere on their body, and a spot of crimson could be found painted all over the bandage. Some of the men even wore eye patches, others had pegs in place of one of their legs. These men were obviously in very poor condition, unlike the soldiers for the Cho Shu Clan. Shion then lead me to a room at the end of the dining hall, thankfully averting my eyes away from the grisly images of these soldiers. Inside the room lay a man I had met on several occasions, the leader of the Satsuma Clan, Saigo Takamori.

"Is this the Cho Shu survivor you brought in last night, Shion-kun?" he asked as he took a sip of his tea.

"Hai," she nodded, "I believe you know her. Himura Mina, also known as Hitokiri Kensai."

"It's an honor to meet you again, Saigo-dono, that it is," I bowed.

"Let's skip the formalities," Saigo insisted, "so what happened to the Cho Shu Clan yesterday?"

"...I don't know, sir," I answered with my head hanging low. "The truth is, when we were attacking the Shogunate's shipment of Western weaponry, I was knocked out cold in the midst of our retreat. When I came to, I was all alone and I found most of my allies dead. I tried returning to the Cho Shu Clan's inn, there was nothing but rubble there. That's when Shion found me, that it was."

"Well you were a lot of help," Saigo said sarcastically as he got another sip of his tea.

'Well you're the same prick you always were!' I insulted him inside my head.

"Saigo-sama, I think it would be best if we told Kensai what we know of the Cho Shu Clan's disappearance so far," Shion suggested.

"Very well," Saigo sighed. "Just like you, we are pretty much in the dark in this situation. We know that the Bakufu does in fact have a hold of the shipment they brought in yesterday, in fact, they used it to demolish the Cho Shu Inn. Another shipment is coming in today, but with our current forces, we can't halt this shipment."

"So are you saying our forces have basically lost?" I asked.

"Not quite," he answered, "we know of the man who arranges these shipments. He is a member of the Kyoto Shoshidai, Yamazaki Todo. If we can eliminate this man, then we can prevent future shipments, so all is not lost, but why should this concern you, you aren't a member of this clan."

"I'm still a part of the Ishin Shishi!" I stomped. "Cho Shu, Satsuma, what's the difference, we're all on the same side, aren't we? I can't just sit back and let the Shogunate take control!"

"We've already prepared ourselves for Yamazaki's assassination," Saigo informed me, "Hitokiri Shion," a black letter suddenly dropped into his hand from his sleeve, "I want you to assassinate Yamazaki."

"Hai," Shion nodded.

"What about me?" I asked. "Let me help!"

"You belong with Cho Shu, you have no need to interfere in our affairs," Saigo returned to his tea.

"Your affairs?!" I yelled as I knocked the glass out of his hand.

"Mina!" Shion looked at me shocked.

The entire room grew silent, I knew I had gotten his attention now. My eyes began to narrow as they moved to the edge of my eyes, preparing to counter any attack those sorry excuse for soldiers would've made. Instead, they all returned to their duties, and I turned back to Saigo, my eyes still narrowed.

"I see you're willing to help us," Saigo said calmly. "Very well, I'll allow it. Your skills would be of great value to us," Saigo said as he began eyeing my figure, "although you don't look like you'd be a fitting warrior."

"I'm here to help, not be insulted!" I snapped.

"You have a lot of spirit, that's good," Saigo smiled. "Very well, here is your task, Hitokiri Kensai. I want you to live up to your name's sake."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The name 'Hitokiri', have you really earned it?" he asked. "Have you ever killed in the shadows and written a page in history but never used your name before? I'm talking about making you a real hitokiri, Himura Mina. A warrior of the shadows, one who kills those that make this nation a travesty of what it once was."

I don't know why, but my legs suddenly locked when he said those words. It's not that I haven't killed before, but the way he described to me my new occupation, it just shocked me. Did I really alter history up to that point, I mean, I did kill a lot of people prior to that day, but they were all simple grunts, no one important. This was my opportunity to make my mark in history, but I began to hesitate before making my decision.

"Well, how about it?" Saigo asked. "Are you afraid to take the job, Hitokiri Kensai?"

"Mina, if you wish to be strong, then be strong in your own way, that way you will be stronger than me," Shinta's voice echoed through my head.

"If I wish to be strong...," I murmured. "...all right, I'll take up on your deal, Saigo-dono," I answered a few moments later.

"Very well, welcome," Saigo extended his hand.

There was a moment of hesitation before I took hold of his palm, my fingers slowly wrapping against the back of his hand a second later. Each shake felt as if the earth was crumbling, each second seemed like an eternity, I felt as if I had just sold my soul to the devil, yet I didn't know why back then. It brought me great relief when he finally let go, and then he handed me the first dark papyrus that I would write my first page of history in.

"Yamazaki Todo?" I read the name aloud. "But isn't this..."

"You and Shion will be working together for this assignment," Saigo explained, "she will be your teacher for the first few nights, and then we will give both of you individual assignments."

"Don't take this the wrong way," I began to take my leave, "but this is only temporary. Once find my brother, I'm leaving, you got that?"

"That's fine with me," he said and I continued to make my way out of the dining hall. "That is, IF you find your brother."

His last sentence froze me for another moment. Anger and sadness began to boil in my veins once more as my fingers began to ball into a fist. I wanted strike my new boss down with my katana, but knowing Shion, she'd probably defend him. Without another word and without wasting another second, I took my leave with Shion following close behind.

"Saigo is such a bastard," I complained once Shion and I were away from the dining hall.

"I suppose he can be at times," Shion agreed, "but he is our leader."

"Che, I guess you're right there, that you are," I sighed.

"You aren't joking, are you?" Shion asked a second later.

"Joking?" I stopped in place.

"About leaving once you found your brother?" Shion asked.

"Of course I'm not joking," I answered, "did you see those guys in the mess hall, they were so... ugh!" I stuck out my tongue after recalling their disgusting images.

"I suppose you have a point there," Shion sighed, "but you have to understand that this war hasn't been easy on any of us. I'm sure there were men like that in the Cho Shu Clan."

"There were a few," I answered, "but then again, most of our guys would die on the battlefield."

"You needn't worry about the battlefield anymore though," Shion reminded me, "your place is now in the shadows."

"Yeah, yeah, don't get all philosophical on me," I told her with the wave of my hand. "So when are we supposed to get this guy, huh?"

"According to our sources, Yamazaki enjoys going to the brothels around the hours of eight to midnight," Shion read from our orders, "our best bet would be to catch him around midnight when he leaves."

"Che, Bakufu dogs are all the same," I sighed, "still, this should make our job easier. By the way, where's Tetsu at, I haven't seen him since I got here," I changed the subject.

"We'll see Tetsu later tonight," Shion assured me, "he's currently off duty."

"I see," I said, "so then what are we supposed to do until tonight?"

"We're off duty until then," Shion answered.

"Great...," I scoffed.

The rest of the day went by really slow. I hadn't had anything to eat after leaving the dining hall, I lost my appetite after seeing all those men in the mess hall. Shion showed be around the entire Satsuma Camp, but it only ate up half an hour of the day. I just lay around in Shion's barracks the entire time, she didn't seem to have anything to do in her room. She had a few books on top her dresser, but there were all romance and drama novels. I flipped through a few pages of one book, but I quickly lost interest. When the moon finally came, I was on the verge of death from boredom.

"Mina," Shion knocked on the door, "it's time."

"Finally," I sighed as I pushed myself from my seat in the corner.

Shion lied to me, it wasn't time. It was the hour of seven when she got me, that was one hour before our target would be in the designated area. Regardless, she took me into the city.

"Why did you drag me out of the camp?" I groaned as we walked down the city streets. "We still have about an hour until eight and you said that it would be best to take care of him around midnight."

"I've had a change of heart," Shion told me, "I'd like to get this job out of the way as soon as possible. Besides, I noticed you were pretty bored just laying around in my room."

"Well whatever," I sighed. "So how are we supposed to know which guy he is, there's a whole bunch of Shogunate supporters that like to attend brothels."

"There's a key to knowing who your target is," Shion told me. "Normally our targets are usually old men who have a lot of bodyguards around them. In this case, we are to assassinate a member of the Kyoto Shoshidai, that gives us a clue about our target's appearance. All men who work directly under the Shogunate have a distinct haircut. It's always bald in front and then they have a small ponytail that's folded inward at about their eye level. The length of the ponytail is usually the length of a thumb and is folded inward by a black band."

"My guess is that you've had your share in these kind of targets, that you have," I told Shion.

"Well, when you've been in the business as long as I have, you gain a knack for these kind of things," Shion smiled.

The next thing I knew, Shion and I were already in the brothel district of the city. The area wasn't very well kept. Shadows had engulfed the entire area, it was difficult to even see the area just before my feet. It's not that there wasn't any light in the area, it's just that all of it was locked within the many buildings within the district. It was awfully noisy too, I'm pretty sure I heard five different conversations going on in one moment, along with a lot of moaning in the background. A small flash of light could usually be seen whenever someone entered one of the facilities, though it would just reach a few feet in front of the entrance, never shining down upon me nor Shion. I felt rather comfortable just standing outside, just hearing the moans and conversations made me feel... I don't know, dirty I guess. I turned to Shion who stood right next to me, her eyes shut, her arms folded, and her back against the wall, it looked like she was already focused on our kill.

"Well, well, what have we here?" the voice of an old man echoed from behind.

I turned to the source of the voice and there stood a well dressed old man and six other individuals. The elder of the seven had a few wrinkles on his face and a grin on it as well. His pupils were a dark gray color, the area surrounding those orbs were a yellowish white. His head was virtually bald, although he wore a small ponytail that was folded inward on the back of his head. He wore a daisho on his belt; the swords and their sheaths were a just black, they were barely visible in the current lighting of the area. His outfit was also black, but it was of a lighter shade. There was a symbol of three sakura on the upper left half of his kimono, and once I saw that symbol, I instantly knew who it was.

"Yamazaki Todo, I presume?" Shion said as she pushed herself off the wall.

"Are you two the new girls?" the old man's eyes began drifting up and down our figures. "Personally I like the goods on you, missy," the old man told Shion, "but the red-head here..."

"We're here for your head," I broke the old man's speech.

"Excuse me?" Yamazaki said puzzled.

"As ordered by the Satsuma Clan of the Ishin Shishi, we must kill you," I repeated.

"You girls must be joking," the old man chuckled as his guards stepped forward.

"Even if you scream now, your voice will never again reach the Shogunate," Shion said as she drew her blades.

"I guess you two really are serious," the grin on the old man's face melted. "Kill them!" Yamazaki ordered his bodyguards.

"Stand back!" one of the guards ordered the rest. "Now die!" he yelled as his blade pulled him forward.

Grabbing the katana from my belt I quickly swung it sheath and all at the man's ribs. The crack that followed after the impact was muffled by the conversations floating around close by, and they soon muffled his cry after my katana's blade etched itself between his broken ribs. I didn't waste much time as I pushed forward after, prying the corpse on my blade away with my sheath. Another charged forward, his blade above his head. I sliced upward, the steel kissing his limbs and throat. A small cry escaped his mouth before a cherry red geyser erupted from the craters my sword created. Two more followed, one behind the other. I swung my sheath first this time, catching the lead man at the leg. He fell forward for an instant, his sword clattering to the floor. My shoulder met with his face as it pushed his back against the man behind him. With my feet pushing against the ground with all my might, I launched myself forward, my sword leading the way. Crimson sprayed onto my being once more as it pressed through one man and into the other. Their screams were again muffled by the noise coming from within the brothels, though they were still dissonance in my ears. I killed the noise with a pull of my blade, slowly prying it upward as it grinded against bone and muscle. More fountains of blood began to rain down on me, but I didn't care at the moment. Two of the men dropped their blades at that instant and began to run. Before I could make chase, I soon found a flurry of debris flying in their directions, nailing the two against the wall soon after. I turned to the attack's source to find Shion with her naginata's main blade pointed upward. The battle cry of the remaining bodyguard soon entered my ear the moment I turned my head. His sword was pointed to the east as he dashed forward, sliding westward as it flew toward my side. With a sigh, I simply swung my blade to the side to catch his attack, my sheath following in my sword's direction to strike at the side of the man's skull. At the moment he fell to the floor, I plunged my sword downward just above his chest. I had to twist the blade a few times before I could extract it, and by then, the target had already began to run.

"Go after him," Shion ordered.

"Hai," I nodded and followed without question.

"Someone help me!" Yamazaki cried as he ran down the streets.

A second later, one of the old man's feet got caught on his other's heel, sending him chin first to the ground. My run broke into a walk after, my blade practically gliding over the surface of the ground as I approached my target. He quickly rolled over to his back, dragging his entire body back as he crawled to the nearest wall. His eyes were wide open, his mouth was open enough to fit several mochi, it was obvious that this man was afraid of me.

"Please don't," he began to beg, "I'll do anything you want. I'll give you all the money I have, just spare me!"

"Spare you?!" I spat. "Why should I spare you? Did your comrades spare the Cho Shu Clan when they were attacked by the weapons you arranged for yesterday? Did you order your men to hold back when you ordered them to kill me and my friend?! I think you deserve this fate that's about to fall upon you!" I said as I rose my blade once more.

I remember the man's face as my blade struck the top of his skull, my eyes were left unblinking as the ruby fluids splattered against my face. Something just didn't feel right after I had done the deed, I didn't know what it was at first. I heard a small footstep coming from close by. At first I thought it was only Shion, that is, until I heard a scream different from Shion's own voice.

"Thought you could get away huh?" I turned the corner to find Shion pointing her blade at the source of the scream.

Normally I wouldn't have cared if Shion had pointed her blade at an enemy's throat, only this time, she wasn't pointing it at an enemy, it was a young girl.

"Please don't kill me," the girl begged, "I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Shion, what the fuck do you think you're doing?!" I yelled at her.

"She saw what happened," Shion answered, "she has to die."

I looked back at the girl for a second. Her eyes were a sky blue hue, her hair as dark as a raven. Sweat and tears trembled down her skin as Shion's blade barely touched her neck. Her mouth was quivering, her entire body was trembling. Her teeth clicked as whimpers escaped her lips between her breaths. The poor girl was scared to death, I'm sure the feel of Shion's naginata against her throat had kept her from falling unconscious. She looked no older than twelve, the sight of that girl in fear had reminded me of myself, when I found myself on the verge of death two years ago until Shinta saved me.

"Shion, she hasn't done anything, just let her go," I tried to convince her once more.

"No," Shion said with the shake of her head, "all those who see the deeds of a hitokiri must die!" Shion said as her blade began to draw blood from the girl's neck.

"Stop it, Shion!" I yelled. "Let her go, she hasn't done anything wrong, she just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, that she has."

"There is no such thing as a wrong place at the wrong time," Shion glared, "everything is decided by Fate. It was Fate that had Keisuke and my family killed that evening, and it was Fate that brought this girl to where she is today!"

"Shion, you're crazy, just let her go already!" I ordered once more.

"I have a better idea, you kill her," Shion turned to me.

"NANI?!" I said shocked.

"You want to be a hitokiri, don't you?" she asked. "Then your first test will be to kill this bystander."

"She's not even involved in this conflict!" I yelled. "THIS IS POINTLESS!!!!!"

"All those you kill are involved," Shion replied, "that's what you told me a year ago, wasn't it?" the words struck my heart.

It was true, I did tell Shion that a year ago, on my birthday to be exact. She was feeling guilty after killing some men and I told her this phrase:

"But if you plan on taking down the Shogunate, the ones responsible for the creation of samurai families, then doesn't that mean all those you've kill are involved?" I asked her back then.

"...I don't know," she had answered, "excuse me then...."

"Well, weren't they?" Shion asked once more, returning me to the present.

I couldn't respond, only silence escaped my lips. I turned to the girl once more, more whimpers were escaping her mouth, ones that could put a dog to shame. The tears were falling faster than ever now, her entire body was trembling even more, the river of crimson running down her neck was growing even more rapid. I couldn't stand to see her like this, I had to get her out of this.

"Forgive me for what I am about to do...," I said as a translucent tear began to crawl down my cheek.

Another scream had filled the area, one that would haunt me for the rest of eternity. Before I could realize what had happened, I found a crimson blade in my hand, it's ruby fluids trickling to the stone floor. Opening my eyes, I found the remains of that poor girl, lying there, her head sinking to the floor, and her torso leaking of scarlet liquid. I had sliced her from the shoulder to the abdomen, I had felt as if I had killed for the first time. My mouth began to quiver upon seeing my latest victim, and my hands began to shake. My eyes began to drift away from the corpse, turning to my hands. My hands, they were covered in the very same ruby substance that was etched on my blade. My skin felt as if it was burning once I had taken a glance of the fluid, yet my eyes were searing from an even greater fire. Rivers of tears rushed down my cheeks, trying to cool the fires on my body. My knees weakened and I found myself kneeling to the floor.

"Forgive me," I cried, "please forgive me! I didn't want to kill her, but... Oh God, please forgive me for the sin I have committed this evening, please forgive me!"

"God can never forgive the sins one has committed," Kensai's voice echoed in my head.

"Mina...," Shion's hand took hold of my shoulder.

"Forgive me...," I chanted again.

"You can't be forgiven," Kensai said once more.

"Please forgive me...," I cried.

"You will never be forgiven," Kensai said.

"Forgive..."

"Redemption..."

"Me..."

"Is..."

"Please..."

"Unnecessary..."

"For God's sake, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!!!!!!" I screamed.

I began drowning in my own tears soon after, my face rubbing against the road and my fists striking against the dust and ash below. I could feel Shion's arms wrapping around my body, her cheek soon nestling against mine, taking some of the wetness on my face.

"It's all right," Shion tried to tell me, "you did what was necessary."

"You really did," Kensai's voice echoed in my head. "She was destined to die this day, to die by your hand, her blood now runs on your blade. How it quenched the steel slab's thirst, I wish I could feed it more."

"It wasn't necessary," I sniffed, "it was wrong. It was..."

"It was her fate," Kensai said.

With Kensai's last words, I balled my fingers into fists once more and rose them into the air, pushing Shion away in the process. A scream had escaped the top of my lungs and mouth, though it was not heard as the conversations from within the buildings had muffled my cry. Darkness had consumed me after, and the last thing I recall was my body falling to the floor.

The next thing I knew, I was in a field, sitting before a bed of flowers. A crown of irises lay in my hands, my fingers twiddling with the green stems. The morning breeze blew against my face as I turned my attention to the sky. It was a cerulean blue, there was not a cloud in the sky. I turned my attention back to my flowers and suddenly the winds became stronger. I shielded my face with my left hand, but in the process my crown of flowers were blown out of my hands. The sky had suddenly become dark, gray clouds were hovering over my head now. I could feel another presence in the area, the presence was close, too close. I could feel her breath blowing against the back of my neck, I could hear the heave of her chest each time she inhaled, and I could smell the scent of blood on her. I stood frozen after acknowledging her presence, even my air passages had been blocked once I had sensed her. The strength in my body had suddenly been drained, I was paralyzed with fear, there was nothing I can do. My shoulder began to freeze a moment later, her fingers were now wrapped on it, traveling further down. Her other arm wrapped around my other shoulder, and then her hand met at the base of my neck, one atop of the other. I began to flinch, but then, I froze once more when she brought her lips close to my ear.

"We meet again, Mina," Kensai spoke.

"Kensai...," her name escaped my lips.

"You did what was right," she told me as her nose began drifting along my neck.

"How can you call it right?" I took up some courage to speak. "How could ending an innocent life be justified?"

"She wasn't innocent," Kensai said, placing her fingers underneath my chin, "she was in the way," she forced my face toward her's.

"In the way?" I forced my head to the side. "How? The girl was probably just wandering down the streets and made a wrong turn, how is that in the way?!"

"She's keeping you away from your brother, that's how," Kensai smiled.

"Away from my brother?" I asked, my eyes still averted from her's.

"Hai...," she said, "they're all keeping you away from your brother. The Bakufu, the Satsuma Clan, Shinsengumi, Bakufu, Saito, Tetsu, and Shion, all of them are in your way."

"Che, I've had enough of your nonsense!" I said as I brought my palm against her chest.

"Don't say that," Kensai grinned, "I speak the truth."

"How can what you say be true?!" I spat. "Why would my companions and friends keep me away from my brother?! If anything, Tetsu and Shion are willing to help me find him, so don't you go saying all this bull shit about how everyone's in the way!"

"What you're saying is bull," Kensai simply responded, "and you know it."

"All you speak of is nothing but blasphemy and lies!" I yelled.

"Well, I'm not denying that I do speak of blasphemy and lies," Kensai's simper stretched further, "but I have much more to say."

"If you have anything else to say," I began to reach for the katana on my belt, "then say it with a sword!"

"A sword?" Kensai chuckled. "Hm hm hm, ah ha ha ha ha! What makes you think you can defeat me? You're the one who always has to call on me for help when you're about to die!"

"Shut up and draw your blade!" I spat.

"Very well," she said with a sigh.

My fingers began to twitch around the air before the hilt of my sword, my left hand clutched the sheath of my katana with all of it's might. My left leg was bent back and my right went forward. My teeth began to grind as a drop of sweat began to fall from my brow, yet Kensai had remained calm, that evil simper stretched from ear to ear.

"Well, what are you waiting for," she asked, "aren't you going to attack?"

After saying those words, my right foot pushed forward an inch. My left leg then took a step forward, and then my right a second later. A half second after, my left took the lead once more. Right, left, right, left, my feet had broke from a walk into a run, and my fingers began inching toward my katana's hilt. Finally, they had clasped it, and my arm began to swing forward. Kensai still stood there, her hand reaching for her sword at that moment. Metal sliding against oak soon followed, her golden eyes glaring into mine as we drew our blades.

"Kyah!" we both screamed.

  
  


Chapter 26 Liner Notes

  
  


What is the Kyoto Shoshidai?- The Kyoto Shoshidai were officials who kept in touch with the Shogunate during the Revolution. They often reported the status of the war and made arrangements for new soldiers to arrive in Kyoto.

  
  


(Next time: "I've had enough of her lies and madness, I'm tired of tarnishing my blade with lives. If I can kill the beast that resides in my soul, will I finally be able to leave this dark world...?" -Himura Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: I told you it was slow in the beginning. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter regardless, so tell me what you think by leaving me a review, and no flames as usual. Oh, and I know that I've been making too much sexual tension or whatever between Shion and Mina/Kensai since Kenshin left, but don't worry, I'll cut it down from here. So yeah, check out the new chapter next week, it's Mina versus Kensai, one of the biggest battles to ever be fought in this book so watch out for it!


	30. Light And Shadow

Author's Note: All right, we finally have a confrontation between Mina and Kensai. Without any further interruptions, let's get to the story!  


Chapter 27: Light and Shadow  
  


A loud crash had filled the area as our blades locked against one another. I bit down against my teeth as I pushed the shimmering slab toward her neck. Kensai's grin widened as I pushed forward, those golden eyes narrowing a second later as my blade was now returning to my body. With a quick shove, Kensai was somehow able to free us from our blades' grasp, leaving my arm in the air with my sword pointed toward the heavens.

'A straight forward lunge,' I read her next attack.

It was just as I predicted, her blade pushed forward after, flying toward me neck. At the last moment, I used the god-like speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu to evade the attack. I had spun out of harm's way, my back was now facing her's, I had gotten directly behind her.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Kan-Sen!" I screamed as I swung my blade at the base of her neck using the force of my body's turn.

My blade slit nothing but air, Kensai had suddenly disappeared from sight. The winds quickly blew upward a second after, and I knew what that meant.

"Is that how you use the Ryu-Kan-Sen?" Kensai mocked as she hovered in the air. "How pathetic. Let me show you what a true Ryu-Kan-Sen should be!"

The winds suddenly changed their direction and were now beating against my face. I shut of my eyes and left a small slit open for the other, and the only image I was able to catch was one of Kensai plummeting toward me. By the time I had raised my sword, a sharp pain suddenly shot through my entire body, pushing it in the path of the winds.

"Damn she's fast...," I cursed before finding my back against the grass. "Nani?!"

I opened my eyes once more only to find Kensai charging at me once more. There was no way I could defend in the position I was in, and another world of pain was brought upon me a second after.

"Argh!" I cried as the steel curve struck against my side once more.

I hit the grass once more, this time it was my face that was lying against the ground. The match had barely begun and I had already been struck twice. My wounds were already fresh with blood, my chest was constantly heaving, and my body was dragging to the floor.

"Man you're pathetic," Kensai sighed. "You're already injured and tired, not to mention you couldn't get a single blow on me. Come on, free shot, right now," Kensai said as she sheathed her blade.

I clenched my katana with all my might and charged as fast as I could. I swung my sword from the east when she was in range; I had aimed for her torso, and again, I had struck nothing but air. The winds had again been blowing upward, she was above me once more.

"Child's play," she said before her blade came down.

"Argh!" my shoulder suddenly emitted a small geyser of crimson a second later.

I was limping once more, only this time I was barely able to stand on my own feet, even with my katana pressed against the ground. My breathing had become heavy after this, things were already becoming hazy, but there was no way I was going to be defeated at that point.

"Play time's over, bitch!" I growled as she stood in front of me.

I began pushing my blade forward, it's tip slitting the earth in the process. Dirt and rock began to rise, hurling themselves at Kensai.

"Do-Ryu-Sen!" I screamed as the debris flew. "Nani?!" the image of Kensai suddenly disappeared.

"Predictable," her voice flew into my ear from behind.

Her steel blade had found it's mark on my back this time, streaking downward in a straight line. I could feel each drop of blood that seeped through the new crater, the warm residue flowing down to my legs. The force of the blow had sent me forward, my arms pressed against the floor as my knees kept my legs standing.

"You're such a bragger, you know that?" Kensai taunted as she began circling me.

"Che, shut up!" I spat between my breaths.

"I think you should be the one to shut your mouth," I suddenly found a force pressing against my chin, pushing it backward.

My back was against the ground once more. A lump suddenly began to rise from my throat. In a single cough the lump had found it's way upward, melting upon touching my tongue. The scarlet residue began to pour down my lips but then another lump had taken the previous one's place in my throat. I lurched forward after with my back hunched forward and my knees pressed against the ground. The new lump quickly jumped out of my throat, melting like the last. I opened my mouth this time and a whole flood fell, forming a small puddle of red before me.

"On second thought, you should keep your mouth open," Kensai laughed, "we wouldn't want all that blood to clot up in your throat and have you die of suffocation, now do we?"

"Shut up...," I muttered. "Shut up," I began to raise my voice. "Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!!!!!!"

"I think I heard you the first time," Kensai said with a sigh.

"JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!" I yelled. "You're gonna get it now, I'm gonna end this right here, right now!"

"Oh really?" Kensai chuckled. "Well then, get up, that is, if you can."

I pressed my sword against the ground once more, only to pry it away soon after. I swung it to the east for a second and then I pointed it westward, turning my wrist at an angle. The metal began to slide against it's oak scabbard as I pushed into place. My left leg bent backward and my right lurched forward. Finally, a click echoed from my sword, and my hand was now a few inches above the hilt.

"Battoujutsu, I should've known," Kensai sighed once more. "You're so predictable, Mina, you know that? But how about we spice things up a little, okay?" she disappeared once more.

Within the blink of an eye, she was already behind me, her sword pointed to the side and her legs bent. A squirt of red suddenly emitted from my right wrist, I winced at it for a second, only to cause an eruption of blood from the same spot.

"Argh!" I screamed as I kneeled to the floor once more, my left hand clutching the fresh wound.

"Now what are you going to do?" Kensai asked as she began to circle me. "You're hand is useless now, and I doubt you can do anything with your left."

"Shit...," I muttered.

"I could just kill you now," her blade's edge began to caress my face.

The cold metal was slithering down my cheek, yet no blood was flowing. She could've killed me at any instant, but instead she continued taunting me with her sword. If she were to put any pressure on her katana, my face would've been covered in scars.

"But I have no intention of doing so," she halted the blade above my left eye.

"Why do you keep me alive?" I asked between breaths.

"As I have said before, they are all getting in the way to find your brother," Kensai said.

"I don't understand what you mean," I told her, "just how are they getting in the way?"

"You want to see him, don't you?" she asked.

"Why are you...?" her actions began to puzzle me.

"Just answer the question!" she ordered. "Do you want to see him again?"

"Hai, I do," I nodded.

"Well, there he is," Kensai pointed toward the sky.

The dark clouds began to part, melding with the dark sky. Light was beginning to shine down on the land once more. It began to blind me, but my eyes stayed open once I had seen what was at the center of that light.

"Shinta...?" I could see my brother at the center of that light.

"Go to him," Kensai ordered, pulling the blade away from my face.

"I can't," I realized, "he's too far up."

"You have a staircase, you know," Kensai pointed behind me.

I turned to where she had pointed, and what lay there was the corpse of Yamazaki. I looked at it puzzled for a second, and then I turned to Kensai, who wore a blank expression on her face when I stared at her.

"I don't understand," I told her.

"Step on it," Kensai ordered.

"I don't..."

"Just do it!" she ordered again.

The sound of her voice had caused me to jump. I had once again found myself at Kensai's mercy and I knew it. There was no way I could attack her at the moment, my right hand hurt when I just moved my fingers, so holding a sword would definitely end the fight before it started. I stepped on the corpse, and the next thing I knew, another had appeared before me. This new body was hovering a step above Yamazaki's, this was the corpse of one of his bodyguards. It was odd to just have a corpse appear right before me, I didn't know what to do.

"Step on that one," Kensai ordered.

Another lump suddenly appeared in my throat after she said those words. I took a moment to swallow it down, it didn't seem to help. I hesitated before I finally stepped on it, and just as my foot met the body's belly, a third appeared a step higher. I understood what was going on at that point, so I placed my other foot on it's chest. I climbed two more steps, but when I saw the third, I had become frozen.

"Why are you stopping?" Kensai asked, lurching over my shoulder.

My eyes were beginning to fill with tears again, and my knees gave out once more. My palms quickly slapped against my face, trying to push the leaks from my eyes back into place. As I sat there crying, a hand had placed itself on my shoulder, it was Kensai's, and for once in my entire life, it wasn't threatening, it was somewhat...comforting.

"What's wrong?" she asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

"That step...," I sniffled.

The step that was before me was the girl I had just killed. She was in the same position she was in when my sword had taken her life. Her sky blue eyes were wide open, as blank as a white cloud. Her shoulder was still torn, a river of scarlet was trailing down her body, dripping to the grass just inches below. I could hear each drop that fell to the ground below, the grass quickly sipping it's contents the instant it touched the ground. Her arms and legs were dangling from her body, her finger tip slightly curled as her nails pointed downward. Her mouth was wide open, I could see a lake of blood and saliva rested in the back of her throat.

"But isn't your brother closer now?" Kensai asked, taking my chin and giving it a push upward.

It was true, my brother was closer, though he was still very far. He was wearing his usual smile on his face as he stood in the light, his kimono and hands were clean from blood, his hair was still tied in a high ponytail, and his lavender eyes were as bright as they always were, god he looked so handsome, he was so close, yet so far away...

"Mina...," he called.

"Shinta..."

"Mina..."

"I'm coming, Shinta," I told him as I took one more step forward, "I'm..."

My foot had met nothing but air after I had placed my foot on the girl's corpse. Another body had not appeared, my left leg was dangling in the air, pulling my weight down. I began to veer my weight backwards, only to lose all of my balance. Before I could fall backwards onto the step behind me, I suddenly found myself hovering just a few inches above it and a force pressed against my back. Kensai had caught me, a smile stretched across her face.

"Do you understand now, Mina?" she asked me.

"Understand what?" I asked as she pushed me back to my feet.

"Every kill you make will bring you one step closer to your brother," Kensai answered.

That was the first time I heard that expression. I was paralyzed for what seemed like the millionth time in just that hour when she told me those words. Each kill that I make would bring me one step closer to Shinta.

'How is that possible?' I asked myself in my head. 'This is just some illusionary world, there's no way a staircase such as this can bring me back to Shinta.'

"Oh, but the staircase does exist," Kensai interrupted my thoughts. "This world may be a world different from your own, but think of it. Your enemy is the Bakufu, isn't it? If you kill more of them, it will mean less fighting for you and your brother as the war progresses."

"True...," I agreed with her for the very first time.

"Eventually you will kill enough that peace will be obtained in a faster amount of time than it normally would have," Kensai told me. "The Cho Shu and Satsuma Clans will then meet once more in the end, all of the Ishin Shishi forces will celebrate the new found peace. During that celebration, you will be reunited with your beloved Shinta, and from there, you can live the rest of your lives together."

"Really...?" I had found myself believing her. "But then, how are the Ishin Shishi, Tetsu, and Shion in the way?" I remembered the words she said before this fight began.

"Well, you can always kill enough of your allies to get his attention," Kensai snickered.

"That won't be happening anytime soon," I told her.

"Fine, have it your way," Kensai sighed. "But you do understand now, don't you, Mina?"

"...hai," I answered after a moment of hesitation.

"Let me be the one to assist you in your quest, let me help you," Kensai offered me her hand. "Let me be the one to exterminate the masses of dogs that stand in your way, let me lay out the steps to find your brother, and for once, let me be your friend and not your enemy."

I turned to her palm for a second, spots of dried blood her spotted all over it. I began to turn away, knowing who I was about to make a deal with, the devil himself, or in this case, herself. As I turned, I looked into my own in hand. It wore the same spots Kensai had, both of our hands were tainted in so much blood. I turned back to Kensai, her hand was still open. I looked back at my hand once more before returning to her's. Without wasting anymore time, I took hold of her palm, wrapping my fingers on the back of her hand. The very touch of her palm began to burn mine, I could feel steam trying to escape between the spaces of my fingers. Our arms moved up and down for a mere second, but for me, it seemed like an eternity. It was a relief when our hands finally parted, a smile was stretched across Kensai's face, but there wasn't on mine. It had only been seconds since our agreement and I already knew I had made one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

"And one more thing," Kensai said after we shook hands.

I turned to her once again, and in an instant, I saw a flash of light make it's way toward my face.

"ARGH!!!!!" I screamed as the area around my left eye began to burn. "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!?!?!?!" I yelled at Kensai as my non-wounded hand took hold of the wounds suddenly inflicted on me.

"Hm hm hm hm," Kensai chuckled as she brought the blade to her eye.

What she did next was appalling. The tip of her katana began to slide downward from her eye brow, passing her eye, leaving a crescent shaped mark on the area around her eye, stopping a few inches before her lip. She didn't stop there, the blade then met with the skin to the side of her nose, pulling it to the left, stopping a few inches before her temple. A cross-shaped wound was formed around her left eye, in the exact same shape of my brother's scar.

"Why did you...?" I was left speechless.

"We are linked by a vow of blood, you and I," she said as she pressed her palm against the mark.

She began to approach me after, her left palm leading the way as her the mark of her scar was drawn in blood on her hand. I began to step backward with my left hand over my wound, but she quickly caught up with me. Her right hand took hold of my wrist, pulling my arm downward leaving the wound open. Then she took her palm and placed onto my wound. I couldn't comprehend what was going on, and then she took my left palm and placed it on her scar. I began to take another step back, but she continued to follow. Kensai leaned forward before I can take another step, her lips just barely away from my ear.

"The cross-shaped tear," she whispered, "it will link you and I. As long as the contract is not broken, you will not have to bear it's pain. I look forward to working with you, Himura Mina...," was the last thing I heard before darkness consumed me once more.

"Mina," I heard someone calling my name a second later. "Mina!"

"Oro...?" the darkness slowly melted away, replaced by two faces I knew too well.

"Thank goodness," Shion sighed.

"Are you all right, Mina-san?" Tetsu asked.

"I'm fine I guess," I answered as I pulled my head away from Shion's lap.

The first thing I could do as soon as I stood up was trace the area around my left eye. Not a scratch, nor a river of blood. My right hand wasn't hurting either, nor was my back or the other wounds Kensai had inflicted on me.

"You gave me quite a scare there, Mina," Shion told me.

"Gomen, I just...didn't feel well," I apologized. "By the way, what are you doing here, Tetsu?" I turned to my other friend.

"Oh me, I'm the field chief," Tetsu answered. "You made quite a mess over here," Tetsu pointed to the area behind me.

It was the same place I had killed Yamazaki and his bodyguards, and the same place I killed that poor girl. The bodies were still strewn across the floor, lying in pools of ruby liquid. I quickly turned away from the refuse when I saw the girl's body once more, but the tears had not come this time.

"How long was I out?" I asked the two a second later.

"About five minutes," Shion answered.

It sure didn't seem like five minutes when I fought with Kensai. It didn't matter, at least that's what I thought at the time, I just thought it was a dream, a really bad one.

"You two get of here while I clean this up," Tetsu ordered us.

"Arigatou," Shion bowed as she placed my arm over her shoulder. "Come on, I'll carry you home, you seem pretty stressed," Shion offered.

As we left the area, I couldn't help but turn back to the girl. The expression of fear was still visible in her blank eyes, and I regretted that her body will forever be frozen in that position, and I still regret what I had done to this day. There was one thing I couldn't help but notice as we walked, a translucent river had begun to fall from her face. Was it tear I had seen her body shed, or was it just an illusion? I still don't know to this day, but for now, I believe she was crying, even after her own death.

Moments later, we were practically at the edge of the city. I was still tired after the events that had happened this evening, but the energy quickly returned a second later when a flash of sky blue appeared from a nearby corner.

"Mina?" Shion looked at me puzzled as I walked away from her support.

Without wasting a second, I unfurled my blade once more, the light of the moon glimmering upon the steel slab once it had been freed. I turned the corner to find one of Mibu's wolves walking down the path, his back turned, and his arms wavering at his sides, nowhere near his daisho.

"Every kill you make will bring you one step closer to your brother," Kensai's voice echoed in my head once more.

"Every kill...," I began to chant.

"Hm?" the wolf suddenly turned toward me. "Who the...?"

"I make will...," my feet began to push me forward.

"Stay back!" the Wolf screamed as he drew his blade.

"Bring me one step closer to my brother!" I screamed as I swung my katana.

The two blades met for a split second only to glide passed each other after, one going through the other. A loud screech entered my ears, but I ignored it as my sword broke through his, landing in the center of his torso. The Wolf lay there frozen for a moment hunched over, a splash of crimson falling before my feet as it fell from his mouth. I pushed my blade once more, making the blade grind through his muscle and bone, freeing it from his body on the other side. A geyser of blood erupted from both halves of his body after, tainting my hands even more with blood. At that exact moment, Shion had just turned around the corner.

"Mina?" she looked at me puzzled.

"...let's go home, Shion," I said as I returned my sword to my sheath.

The first thing we did as soon as we returned to the Satsuma Camp was take a trip to the hot spring. Shion kept a small distance away from me as we bathed, and I couldn't blame her after what Kensai tried to do to her the night before. We had our meal in the bath as well, Shinta's favorite, mackerel with radish and rice, I'm sure he would've enjoyed it if he were in the Satsuma Clan with us. Shion and I hadn't spoken a word during our bath, she just kept herself. No wait, it was me who kept to myself, I tried not to make any conversation, Shion was just lying in her side of the spring relaxing. Moments later, we were drying ourselves off in the changing area, and before I knew it, we were already changed and back at her place. Shion was combing her hair in the east corner of the room as I just sat in place with my face drawn to the floor.

"Here," Shion suddenly handed me her mirror and comb a second later, "just because killing is our job doesn't mean you can't look your best."

"Arigatou," I took the two items into my hand.

"Look, Mina," Shion began to speak, "I know these last two days have been hard on you, but I want you to know that I'm here for you, and I'm pretty sure that Tetsu is too. I know I can't ever replace your brother in any way, but for as long as you stay here, I just want you to know that you're not alone, I'll be by your side."

"Arigatou, Shion," I nodded.

"Well, good night," Shion smiled once more before sliding into her futon.

It was my turn to occupy the corner, I placed the mirror on the desk and began stroking my hair with the comb. I made sure I didn't remove my ribbon as I did this, I didn't want to find myself waking up next to Shion again, especially if we didn't have any clothes on (Kensai that sick bitch). Once I had finished, I began to place the cover on the mirror, my eyes locked on my own reflection as I did so. Before the cover had shielded it, the area around my left eye began to tingle suddenly. My left palm met with it soon after, trying to shield the burn. The tingle began to seer with each second that passed, until it burned so profusely that I began to scream, causing the mirror to fall and shatter within the next second.

"The cross-shaped tear," Kensai's voice echoed in my head once more as I removed my hand from eye, "it will link you and I. As long as the contract is not broken, you will not have to bear it's pain."

The burning began to cool suddenly as I turned to the many glass fragments scattered on the floor. With each reflection I saw, there was a cross-shaped wound over my left eye. Blood trickled down the two marks, but I felt nothing when I placed my palm on where the blood had been dripping.

"Mina, are you okay?" Shion hurried to my side after. "What happened?"

"...it's nothing, Shion," I turned to her, "I was just being clumsy. I'm sorry, I'll buy you a new mirror tomorrow, I promise."

"No, it's all right," Shion assured me, "accidents happen. Here, let me help you clean up," she began taking some of the broken shards into her hand.

I turned back to the pieces once more. The mark on around my eye was gone, and it was then that I had begun to doubt that my dreams of Kensai and I were much more than just dreams...

Chapter 27 Liner Notes  
  


About the "cross-shaped tear"- Other than being a copy of Kenshin's cross-shaped scar, the cross-shaped tear also has a historical background on it. In an old book I've read about ancient cults, there was one particular cult (I can't remember it's name) that would scar it's own followers by making identical wounds of the leader. After the wounds are made, the leader would cut himself in the same fashion and take his hand onto the wound as the follower did the same. The two would then touch the other's wound with the hand that has the blood from their own wound. This symbolized the contract between the follower with the cult. It basically meant "as long as you don't leave us, you won't have to suffer the pain of this wound once more," just as Kensai told Mina something similar when they touched scars.  
  


(Next time: "A week has already passed and she's become very different. She seems cold and distant, she shares her feelings with no one but Shion. Something bad is happening to her, I just know it, and why the sudden lust for blood, this isn't the Mina I know. She's been through so much pain, I just hope it can all end for her..." -Kajima Tetsu)  
  


Author's Note: Pretty crazy stuff huh? I'm afraid things are only going to get darker until the end of this book, and we'll see much more of Kensai now. Anyways, next time we'll see a new Mina; her life has changed quite a bit ever since her contract with Kensai. In the meantime, why not leave me a review, but no flames as usual. I guess that's it for now, see ya next week!


	31. The Contract

Author's Note: Okay, I know Tetsu said something about a week passing or whatever for this chapter's preview, but in truth, a few months have passed since Mina joined the Satsuma Clan. There's not much action in this action just to let you know ahead of time, this chapter basically just shows us how Mina has changed after those several months after her separation from Kenshin. And if you thought she was crazy before, just wait until you read this chapter...  
  


Chapter 28: The Contract  
  


Several months or so had passed since my first assignment, time had just flown since that day. Murder had become very commonplace in my life, whether it was my targets, on-lookers, Shinsengumi, or Bakufu, my blade's thirst for blood never dried. I had believed in Kensai's words then, I was vulnerable to any kind of truth after being separated from my brother, even if the truth was in fact a lie.

"All of you," I glared at my targets, my left hand taking hold of my katana's hilt, "die!"

My feet pushed forward after, my left arm sliding westward as it freed my sword from it's sheath. The blade shimmered for a second before slipping through my first target's center. Another small flash with the step that followed, this time my weapon swung to the east in an upward fashion, slicing through my next prey. A third step followed, along with a fourth, my sword swinging to the west and the east once more with those two steps. My back was now facing my targets, my left arm locked in an angle with my knuckles pointed to my right and my katana's guard just inches away from my pinky finger. The hilt began crawling between the spaces of my fingers as I extended my arm forward. My sword's spinning stopped a second later as the blade's tip pointed toward the earth, slowly turning at an angle as it slid back into it's oak restraint. A click echoed once it lay snug in place, and with that, my four targets fell in unison.

"It's not fun practicing on bamboo trees," I sighed as I took one last look at the trees I had just cut.

This is how I spent most of my days when I wasn't out killing, I would go out into the forest and practice my skills, preferably a new technique I created.

"I knew I'd find you here," Tetsu's voice soon followed, "still practicing your Left-Handed Battoujutsu I see."

After my fight with Kensai, I knew there would eventually be another battle where I would get my right hand immobilized, so I had to learn how to use my left. I began practicing by doing regular swings with my left arm alone, but those tactics were nothing special. I decided to combine my best skill, the Battoujutsu, with left-handed techniques. The result was the Left-Handed Battoujutsu, a stance in which I draw my katana with my left arm alone. I had to flip the blade so that the outer curve faced the ground when I used these techniques in order to draw the blade from it's sheath. It took me a few weeks to adjust, but the speed of my left-handed techniques eventually became faster than my normal Battoujutsu.

"What do you want, Tetsu?" I sighed, my eyes never turning to his.

I know it was rude how I spoke to him, I spoke to nearly everyone in that fashion during that time, the only exception being Shion. Why did I speak so rudely, it's because I didn't want others to worry, so I kept my distance by being rude. I don't know whether it was fortunate or not, but Tetsu did not back away when I acted to him in this fashion.

"I just wanted to see if you were free, that's all," Tetsu answered. "Shion and I wanted to know if you want to join for some lunch by going into the city right now."

"I could use a good meal," I told Tetsu as I began to walk passed him without once looking at his face, "of course, you're buying."

We went to the city after, the streets were as desolate as they always were. It was the first month of spring now, the streets were still somewhat wet from the melted snow of the last season. I took the lead as Shion, Tetsu, and I walked, I knew a great restaurant in Kyoto that served the best mochi, luckily it wasn't too expensive so it wouldn't have hurt Tetsu's wallet. As we walked, there was nothing but silence that came from our lips. I was not one to really talk during those times, except maybe to Shion when we were alone, but not when anyone else was around. Instead of trying to make a conversation, my eyes constantly shifted from side-to-side, scouting out for any supporters of the Shogunate. Back then, I would kill any Shogunate supporter that I saw, even if I wasn't on duty.

"As cautious as always I see," Kensai said as I scouted the area.

"Keep your mouth shut," I told her, "I have no patience to deal with you at the moment."

"Mina-san, we are keeping quiet," Tetsu told me as he and Shion tried to catch up with me.

"I wasn't talking to you, was I?!" I spat.

I would yell at Kensai more often during those times, even when others were around. I'm sure people thought I was crazy or something, thinking that I must've been talking to myself or something.

"Um..., so how are the kids, Tetsu-san?" Shion decided to break the ice.

"Fine," Tetsu answered, "they're..."

"We're here," I broke him off by stopping in front of the restaurant.

Our meal had come right away shortly after ordering. Shion had ordered a large bowl of chicken ramen along with several rice balls, Tetsu had a few slices of pork with rice, I just had some tuna with radish sprinkled on top and a few balls of mochi, but all of us shared a few bottles of sake. As we ate, there was nothing but silence going about the table, just as it did when we arrived at the restaurant. I didn't want to start any conversations, the only subject I could really bring up was how I hated my new life, how I felt so guilty for killing all those people I've killed so far. Yeah, I hated killing people, but for some reason I believed Kensai's words that every kill I made would bring me one step closer to Shinta. God I was such a moron back then...

"Hm...," I looked into my glass of sake after taking a sip.

"What is it?" Shion asked after slurping some of her noodles into her mouth.

"The sake," I began sniffing the contents, "it tastes pretty bitter."

"It tastes okay to me," Tetsu said after taking a sip from his own glass.

"I can't taste anything wrong with it," Shion said after taking a few gulps from her own.

"Sake has never been this bitter before," I told everyone, "I suppose it's just my imagination though," I shrugged as I took another sip.

It was hard to tell what was real and what was my imagination. Like that wound Kensai gave me, I swear I could feel it's burn sometimes, feel the scarlet rivers flowing down my face, and I still do this day. The sake though, it tasted like blood; there was not a hint of rice or grape in it as it usually had. My brother told me about this happening to him before, I never thought it was true until that day though.

"Um, Mina-san," Tetsu addressed me as I poured myself another glass.

"What?" I practically growled.

"There's a reason why we brought you out here today," Tetsu said.

"Make this quick," I ordered as I bit into one of my mochi.

"It's about your killing streak," Tetsu brought up. "You've been a hitokiri for only three months and you've done a lot for our clan."

"I don't need praise for what I do," I told Tetsu.

"Mina, what Tetsu-san is trying to say is that you've been going a bit overboard with your killing," Shion explained.

"What do you mean?" I asked, glaring at the two as I took another sip of my drink.

"Mina-san, you've already killed over one hundred people, that's more than half of how much your brother killed in the same amount of time when he was the Cho Shu Clan's hitokiri," Tetsu explained, "do you know how hard it is to hide all those bodies?"

"Well, it's your job, isn't it?" I retorted.

"It is, but the point I'm trying to make is that more than half of those men you've slain weren't even your targets, they were just random victims that you killed," Tetsu continued.

"They weren't random victims," I replied, "they were supporters of the Shogunate or witnesses who saw my actions, it's only natural that they should die."

"Now you're thinking clearly," Kensai said from the back of my head.

"Mina-san, I know they're supporters of the Shogunate and all, but don't you feel any kind of guilt from taking those lives?" Tetsu asked.

"I feel nothing," I lied.

"You're such a liar, Mina," Kensai taunted.

"Stay out of my affairs," I ordered her.

"Mina-san, your actions are my affairs," Tetsu overheard my words to Kensai, "as the field chief of the Satsuma Clan, I'm the one who has to clean up the mess you and Shion make. I'm not having this speech with you just because I want to make my job easier, but I want to make sure that you don't become a mass murderer of some sort."

"Field chief? Che, that's just a fancy word for janitor," I shrugged. "And you call me a mass murderer, don't even go there Tetsu, I have my limits on who I kill."

"But based on who you've killed so far and the reasons you've used, you're on the very same level as a serial killer," Tetsu explained.

"Don't you dare put me to their level!" I yelled jumping out of my seat.

"Shion-san, don't you agree?" Tetsu turned to her. "Please tell her what she's been doing is wrong."

"I...," Shion began to hesitate, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to side with Mina, Tetsu-san. There is no such thing as an innocent person in war, all those you killed are involved," Shion referred to my words a year ago once more.

It pained me every time Shion said those words, I never actually believed in it until Shinta had left me. It was me who was the first to say those words, and I was the last to follow them. I guess it was a good thing that I kept my mouth shut a majority of the time during that period in my life, otherwise I could've babbled even more nonsense that would lead me down a darker road in the path of violence.

"Mina-san, Shion-san, I can't believe the two of...," I suddenly cut him off with the wave of my hand.

My eyes had caught the attention of several Mibu Wolves outside. They didn't seem to be doing any patrolling of some sort, they just looked as if they were having a regular day out on the town. Regardless if they were on duty or not, I grabbed my katana that sat next to the table and hurried outside.

"Mina-san!" Tetsu tried to stop me.

"Pay the bill, all right," I ordered him, "I've got a bone to pick with some dogs."

I followed the three Shinsengumi men closely, my form staying within the shadows. I followed them until we were in a desolate area. There was no one around, I'm sure the closest part of civilization was miles away. That was when I struck. Their backs were turned as I began to step away from the shadows, my left thumb pushing against my katana's guard as my right hand began pulling it outward from the hilt. My steps became a dash soon after, the steel slab pulling outward as my steps began to echo in the area.

"What the hell?!" the three wolves finally realized my presence.

"Argh!" my blade met with one of their skulls.

My left palm began to push the metal curve outward, grinding his skull and muscle until my sword had been freed from the other side. Crimson fluids burst from the crater within that man's head, tainting my uniform with it's contents. I quickly leapt toward the closest Wolf with my sword raised above my head after, I can still remember the shock on his face before my sword sliced through it. He didn't even get a chance to draw his blade, and mine was already traveling down his spine, splitting the bone and body in half. The remaining soldier had a chance to draw his blade though, having it lead his run as he charged toward me after.

"Pathetic," I sighed as my sword caught his.

Our blades were locked in an angle, his breath was pushing against my face. My feet began to pull back suddenly as dust began to collect underneath my tabi. I was losing this contest of strength, but I had an alternative to win. I flicked my wrist forward in an instant, catching the Wolf off guard. My blade planted itself on the side of the man's skull, causing his sword to fall to the floor in the process. The man was basically dead at that moment, so I ended his suffering by pushing my blade further westward. His body fell to the floor after, a scarlet puddle began collecting before my feet after I had cut him. The deed was done, and my sword's thirst for blood had been quenched, along with three more steps being added to my path to Shinta.

"Mina-san!" I turned to where I had come from to find Tetsu and Shion.

"Tetsu, clean up this refuse!" I ordered as I began to make my way out of the area.

"Mina, wait up!" Shion called as she ran to my side.

The two of us had returned to the populated part of the city. There was no one around that I knew other than Shion, that was my cue to cut my act.

"DAMMIT!" I screamed as my knees brought me to the floor. "How much longer must I do this?!" I cried as my palm met with the road.

"Mina, you don't have to kill every single Shogunate supporter you see, you know," Shion assured me, "I mean, if it hurts you this much, you can always quit."

"I can't quit," I told her between my tears, "I have to continue with this charade until I find my brother."

"What gives you that idea?" Shion asked, placing her arm over my shoulder.

"The Cho Shu Clan is still alive, right? Then eventually they'll meet up with the Satsuma Clan again, and then I can be reunited with my brother," I explained, "so I have to stay with the clan if I want to see him again."

"That's nonsense," Shion told me, "you don't have to stay with us in order to be reunited with your brother. I'm sure you can find him on your own if you left the clan."

"I know, but...," the area around my eye began to tingle.

"You'll break our contract in the process," Kensai suddenly appeared before me.

I couldn't help but gasp at the image of the dark soul before me. My body jumped back without my input, sending my back against the road. Her golden eyes peered into mine with that dark simper stretched across her face, her shoulders moved up and down as snickers escaped the crease in her lips, and two rivers of scarlet ran down the left side of her face, leaking from the cross-shaped mark around her eye.

"You don't want to break our little contract, do you?" Kensai grinned as her palm met with her eye.

"Ow!" the burning around my eye began to grow.

"Mina, are you okay?" Shion hurried to my side once more. "What's wrong?"

"As long as you continue you killing, our contract won't be broken," Kensai said as one of the bodies that I had just slain fell before my feet. "And the more you kill, the closer you'll get to your brother," she said as the other two bodies appeared before the previous one, one a few inches above the other.

"Mina, come on, answer me," Shion said once more, just as the bodies and Kensai began to disappear, "Mina!"

"I'm...I'm okay," I tried to assure.

"Are you sure," Shion asked concerned, "you scared me there for a moment."

"Hai, I'm fine," I tried to put on my best smile, "I'm fine, that I am."

"Mina...," Shion continued giving me her worried expression.

"You don't have to worry about me, Shion," I told her once more, "it's just one of those days, you know."

"Mina, something's bothering you," Shion said, looking through my illusion, "it's not hard to tell at all. People just don't fall to the floor and break down and then freak out for no apparent reason. They also don't just shift over to a normal state after what they had just gone through."

"I'm telling you, it's just one of those days," I tried telling Shion once more.

"Mina, I don't think any woman has ever had mood swings like that during their period so don't lie about that stuff," Shion still wouldn't accept my lies.

"I'm not lying, Shion," I tried to convince her once more.

"Oh really, then what about the first time I encountered Kensai, huh?" Shion reminded me. "You lied about her existence until she almost raped me!"

"I didn't lie about her existence," I snapped, "I just changed the subject when you brought her up!"

"Still, you avoided the problem!" Shion yelled back. "Mina, did something happen between you and Kensai again? If so, tell me, I don't want you to be a victim of her crimes any longer."

It was too late for that, Shion just didn't know it. I couldn't let anyone get involved with my problems back then, no matter how close I was with them, even if they happened to be my best friend.

"Nothing happened between us," I lied, "she hasn't appeared after you kicked her ass a few months ago."

"Mina, you're lying to me, I know it," Shion saw through my lie once more, "just tell me what she's done this time."

"I'm telling you, nothing's happened!" I insisted again.

"By the way you talk, you're obviously hiding something," Shion pointed out.

"Why are you be so persistent?! I'm telling you nothing has happened!" I told her once more.

"Don't lie to me, Mina!" Shion began to raise her voice.

"Fuck you!" I retorted. "This is like a police interrogation, just stop it, all right!"

"I'll stop when you tell me what's going on!" Shion snapped back.

"For the last fucking time, nothing is going on!" I yelled at her, grabbing the attention of all the onlookers in the area.

I always had a tendency to be the center of attention; there were times I wondered why I haven't been caught during my assassinations if I keep putting myself in situations such as these. I was angry at Shion for her persistence, but in truth, I was angry with myself for making that deal with Kensai in the process. I couldn't stand her concern any longer, anymore of it and I would've broken down again. I should've told her what was going on at the time, but for some reason, I didn't.

"Che, I'm outta here!" I stomped as I turned my back on my best friend.

"Mina, wait!" Shion called.

"Don't you even think about following me, Shion!" I glared.

After my outburst, I began wandering the city, alone. As time flew by, more and more people began to occupy the streets. I didn't even bother to do anything to the Shogunate supporters I saw as I went down the streets, I was too caught up in my own thoughts.

'Shinta, how much more of this do I have to endure?' I thought to myself as I wandered.

"You're not thinking about ending our contract, are you?" her voice suddenly whistled in front of me.

"Kensai?" I stood frozen by her visage once more.

"Poor Mina," she said as she began to approach me, "you miss him, don't you?" she asked as our toes were practically touching each other.

"Hai," I nodded, my eyes dragging to the floor.

"You love him so much that you'd be willing to do anything to be reunited with him once more, don't you?" Kensai asked, her fingers taking hold of my chin.

"Hai," I answered once more.

"Then you know what you must do," Kensai said as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "You can be such a baby at times, you know," she whispered into my ear. "But maybe that's what I like about you," her finger met with the tip of my nose as her yellow eyes peered into mine.

"You needn't remind me of what I must do, that you don't," I told her as I turned my head to the floor.

"By the way you speak, I know that you lose your path often," Kensai said as she tilted my face toward her's again, "that's why you chose me as your guide."

"Kensai!" the call of another began drifting my way.

"An enemy?" I began to reach for my sword.

"No," Kensai assured me, "ally. Slay him if you wish, either way I'll enjoy it."

"I have no intention of doing so," I told her.

"Fine," Kensai sighed, "I guess I'll be on my way then," she said as she began releasing her grip on me. "I'll see you soon, Mina," she smiled once more before disappearing into thin air.

"Kensai!" the voice was now right behind me.

"What do you want?" I practically growled at the man.

"Saigo-sama has a job for you tonight," the man said as he handed me a black envelope.

"Okita Soushi," I read from the dark papyrus, "his head will be mine!" the paper crumbled with the close of my hand.  
  


Chapter 28 Liner Notes  
  


A little bit more info on Kensai- Other than being an alternate persona of Mina, Kensai is actually based on evil souls that are spoken of in some Japanese mythologies. These evil souls would always have the appearance of the person they share a body with and sometimes that person can see these souls outside of their body just as Mina did in this chapter. Sometimes these souls can be contained to a degree so that they can't take control of the person's body, usually with a necklace or divine item of some sort (in Mina's case, she has her ribbon). When the item is removed, then the soul can take control of the person's body. I should also note on the way Mina and Kensai interact. No, Kensai is not attracted to Mina, the way she interacts with her is nothing sexual, it's just a unique way of interacting. I got the idea from some of CLAMP's work (such as X/1999 and Chobits), the way some characters interact with their alternate personas in their stories is just like how Mina and Kensai interact, with all the touching and everything, but it's not sexual. I just thought I'd clear that up.  
  


(Next time: "Four marks lay before my eye, each one representing a different path, a different destiny. Is it Fate that makes me do such horrible things, or is it my will...?" -Himura Mina)  
  


Author's note: She's really losing it, isn't she folks? I told you this story was going to take a much darker turn now that Kenshin's gone, and things are only going to get worse until the end of this book. Well, only six chapters and the epilogue left and this book is over, then it's time to move on to book II, 'A Rurouni's Path'. In the meantime, why not leave me a review, and as usual, no flames. Well then, see ya next week and happy holidays.


	32. Four Destinies

Author's Note: Just to tell you readers ahead of time, this chapter was rushed so it might not be up to my usual writing level or whatever. This entire week has been very hectic for me so that should explain why the quality of this chapter is down compared to the rest of my stuff. Anyway, I'll make it up to you guys in the next chapter, I promise that it'll be much better than this one. Well, you might as well read this one, but it's still vital to the entire story.

  
  


Chapter 29: Four Destinies

  
  


Okita Soushi was my target that evening, I've heard many things about that man. I know for a fact that he is indeed the leader of the first Shinsengumi squad, but I have not fought him up until that point in my life. He was said to be the greatest swordsman in the entire Shinsengumi other than Saito Hajime, whom I have fought twice so far. Okita was also known to be ill, coughing up blood quite often, I thought this would make him an easy target.

During the rest of the day, I had not returned to the Satsuma Camp, instead I stayed in the city and wandered a majority of the time. Of course, during my wandering I slaughtered a few more of Mibu's Wolves and a few witnesses, adding more steps to my reunion with Shinta and more guilt upon my shoulders. Night had fallen quickly that evening; I was lying in wait for my target at the Yasaka Shrine. I sat at the steps of the shrine, my right-hand holding Shinji's old tobacco pipe before my mouth as my left clutched the hilt of my sword.

"He's here," I took one last puff of tobacco.

A flash of sky blue had entered the corner of my eye, along with several footsteps. I tapped the contents out of the gold-laced tube before hurrying behind a statue. As I hid, I was able to hear their whispers. They were talking about how the body count of their men rose drastically recently, saying that they don't know who or what attacked them. I knew who it was that killed most of their men, it was me.

"Are there any witnesses that survived the attacks?" I heard one of them ask.

"No, not one," another answered. "Even witnesses were killed on the spot."

"Any patterns on the attacks?"

"All of the victims were killed in secluded areas, that's all we know for now."

"And Kondou-sama wants me to eliminate this threat...," one of them muttered, "just how are we supposed to kill what we know virtually nothing about?"

"Those who know anything will die," I stepped away from my cover.

"Who are you?" one of them began shining their lanterns upon my figure.

"You need not know my name," I answered.

"Che, it's just a girl trying to act as a soldier," one of them scoffed.

"I'm no ordinary girl," my eyes began to narrow.

Several of the men began to back away suddenly, but one stood his ground. He looked rather young, about eighteen or so, there was a smile stretched across his face. His hair was a dark brown color, it was virtually black; his eyes were also of the same shade. The young man had a rather strong stench of blood on him, it was obvious that he had killed many. It didn't take me long to realize who this young man was, it was Okita Soushi, leader of the first Shinsengumi squad, and my target for that evening.

"It's you," he said, that smile never leaving his face, "you're that girl who went after Jin'eh two years ago."

"What of it?" I asked, my hand drifting toward my sword.

"I have no time for idle chatter, we have a city to patrol," Okita began to turn away.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me!" I began to raise my voice. "Take one more step and that pretty boy face of your's will be wading in a pool of your own blood."

"Why you...!" one of the soldiers began to take hold of their sword.

"Stand back!" another stood in front of the man. "How dare you...!" the Wolf sprung forward as he drew his blade. "Huh?!" his blade met with the guard of mine.

Without wasting a single second, I began my attack. With my left hand, I pushed my sheath forward and out of my belt, striking the man in the abdomen. After a cry, he lurched forward, just as my katana's blade aligned with his back. I pushed down with all my strength and his body split in two, creating a large blast of crimson after. As the body fell to the floor, my foot met with half of his back, springing me upward toward the heavens.

"Stop her!" Okita pushed two more of his men forward.

They pointed their blades upward, hoping that it would catch my body as it returned to the earth. I had anticipated this, instead twisting my body as I fell back down. My blade swung with my body's turn, splitting the steel slabs of my enemy just as I landed beside them. With the wave of my sword, my enemy's swords had split in half. Regardless of their broken weapons, they continued to charge. One Wolf swung his broken blade from the west, the other from the north. Both weapons came down in unison, only to strike the air. I had escaped their attacks' path at the last moment, finding my back turned toward their's. I spun once more, this time my blade swinging upward at the base of their skulls. Steel met flesh in a split second, slicing through their necks as if a hot knife was going through butter. Another shower of ruby erupted from the top of their necks, their skulls soaring in the air for a mere second before finding their final resting place on the floor. There were two more men left other than my target; both of these men were both paralyzed by fear.

"It's your turn," I glared at the final two.

"Stop this," Okita ordered me. "Let these two go, there's no need to get bystanders involved in my affairs."

"They aren't bystanders," I told Okita, "they're your men, your soldiers, how can they be simple bystanders?"

"This fight is between the two of us," Okita told me, "there's no need to get others involved."

"Fine," I nodded, "you two, get out of here!" I glared.

Just as I had finished saying those words, the steel slabs within their hands suddenly clattered to the floor and their forms began shrinking in the distance.

"Kill them!" Kensai suddenly appeared next to me.

"Nani?!" I looked to her for a second.

"I said kill them," she repeated.

"You heard Okita, there's no need to...," the invisible scar around my eye suddenly began to burn.

"Do you want to bear the pain of our contract?" Kensai asked as I placed my palm over my eye.

"No, but I just...," the burning began to worsen.

"Stop wasting your breath," Kensai ordered me. "Even if they were bystanders, do you think those dogs won't report this to the pack? Think before you speak, Mina, those two men will report to their comrades and return with more men."

"But I...," I tried explaining once more.

"Do it."

"I..."

"Do it!" she ordered practically yelling, the searing around my eye burning even more.

"Do-Ryu-Sen!" I screamed as my sword rose to the air.

"What are you...?!" Okita asked before my blade met the ground.

The steel slab split the road with ease, it's force traveling beyond my blade and into the gravel. Stone began to rise from my strike, hurling toward the cowardly Wolves. The first screamed as a blade of earth impaled itself into the back of his head, the other was too slow to react before he died just as the sharpened rock met with his back. One fell after another, puddles of their life breaking their fall. The grip around my sword began to loosen as I watched those men die, just as the burn of my scar began to cool. Okita turned to his dead allies, I know there was a look of disbelief in his face, even with his back turned.

"Beautiful," Kensai simply said as that evil simper stretched across her face.

"Beautiful?" I turned to her. "How can you say such a thing?! I just killed two people, how dare you...!"

"Here we go again about killing the innocents," she sighed. "Didn't I tell this is all going to a just cause, Mina?"

"But still...!" I yelled at her.

"I think you should focus your anger onto someone else at the moment," Kensai said as her finger pointed to the Wolf still before me.

"Naze...?" he asked as his head practically dragged to the floor. "Why did you slay them?! I asked you to spare their lives and you broke your word!"

"Gomen, I...," I tried to explain.

"Your apology is nothing to me, Hitokiri!" Okita yelled, the hold on his sword tightening with the raise of his voice. "Now ready your blade so I can avenge my allies!"

"Kill him too," Kensai ordered.

"I was ordered too, but...," I began to lower my blade further.

"You can change the course of this war with his death," she whispered as her hands met with my shoulders. "Kill him."

"I can't kill him," I told her, "but...," my fingers began to inch toward my ribbon.

"I can be the one to stain our sword with his blood!" Kensai screamed once my ribbon was undone.

I had become a spectator in this duel, I felt bad enough that I killed his allies that I couldn't take his own life. The pain had become too great at that moment, I just couldn't bring myself to fight. I had to let her fight this one.

"Kyah!" Kensai's scream escaped my lips as she swung our sword.

A loud crash erupted when Okita's blade met with our's. The two swords were locked for only a second before Kensai pushed the young man away with my foot to his stomach. The Young Wolf staggered back, only to regain his balance a step later once Kensai brought our sword toward his side. Another crash echoed in the area, this one louder than the last. Kensai broke their hold once more, this time following her swing with a swipe from the lower left. The two steel slabs met again, pushing away from one another upon contact. Numerous swings followed from both swords after, each one placing the two metal curves against one another over and over again. The stalemate had lasted for an unaccounted amount of time, neither warrior was scratched yet.

"Uh...," a river of ruby began to escape the Young Wolf's lip.

A blast of the same substance escaped soon after, summoned by a small cough. The small geyser fell upon the floor as another flood of blood escaped his lips with another hack of his lungs. Kensai stood there with her smirk widening as she watched the young warrior's life slowly withering away without any of her input.

"He would be a great step toward your reunion with your brother, don't you think so?" Kensai asked as she readied her blade once more.

The whistle of a bamboo reed suddenly filled the area, as well as the sound of marching steps. Kensai lowered my blade as she turned toward the source in the east. The distance was covered in a sky blue hue with the beats of thunder as the color grew closer.

"More prey," Kensai smiled as my tongue dabbed the flat side of my blade, slurping the scarlet liquid which engulfed it.

"Gross!" I wanted to scream but the words never came.

"How would you know?" Kensai asked me as the colors grew brighter. "You've never even tasted blood before."

"I have thanks to you!" I snapped. "But forget about that now, we better make a run for it!" I ordered as more of Mibu's Wolves came into view.

"And pass up this opportunity, I don't think so," Kensai readied her blade once more.

"I'd run if I were you," Okita said between his coughs. "There's no way you can take on the entire third squad of the Shinsengumi."

"Keep your mouth shut!" Kensai spat.

"Kensai, come on, we can't take the risk," I tried convincing her once more.

"Not now," she yelled at me, "I haven't been on the battlefield since our contract was formed, let me indulge in this rare moment!"

"What about those two men you had me killed?" I reminded her. "You told me that I should kill them so they wouldn't be able to report back to the others."

"That was to save us from doing this later," Kensai explained, "but then again, you're the one who has less stamina than me and..."

"For God's sake, listen to me!" I screamed at her. "There's no way we can take on all those guys, you know it, and I know it!"

"Have some confidence in me, Mina," she smirked as the pack began to grow closer.

"I do, why else do you think I agreed to your contract," I told her.

Kensai began to step forward, despite my words. The sky blue colors were growing even closer now, covering even more distance than we thought. She turned to our katana for a moment and then returned her view to the incoming pack. She turned to Okita once more who had passed out on the floor, his lips suckling against the crimson pool in front of him.

"Che, you win," Kensai spat as she brought the silk material underneath my hair.

"Your life's been spared for now," I told Okita as I fastened the ribbon in place.

Without another word, I returned to the shadows without taking a look back. This was the first and only time I ran away from an assassination mission. I never regretted retreating that evening, despite how many times Kensai yelled at me and the such. My wait for my brother could be postponed for a little while longer, at least that's what I thought at the time, but that little while longer has... No, it's too early to say, I'll speak of it later.

I returned to the Satsuma Camp shortly; darkness had consumed most of the camp. Shion was still awake though, there was a small flash of red and orange coming from her window. I entered our barracks shortly after, not even bothering to take a bath beforehand. Shion was sitting in the corner of the room when I entered, but she moved away from her seat as soon as I returned.

"Mina, where were you?" she asked, practically scolding me. "You had me worried. Just where were you the entire time, young lady?! You didn't kill anymore people, did you? Oh why am I asking, of course you did, just look at your clothes!"

"I didn't come back for a lecture," I told Shion as I brushed passed her. "You sound like my mother, you know that?"

"Mina, I'm just concerned, that's all," Shion told me as I took a seat in one of the room's corner's pulling out Shinji's pipe from my pocket.

"Is this about what happened earlier today?" I asked as I lit one end of the tube.

"Of course it is, what else would this be about?!" Shion said practically yelling.

"Don't get caught up in my affairs, okay?" I told her as I inhaled some of the pipe's contents.

"Mina, I don't even know what's going on with you anymore," Shion told me, "you're always being so distant now. Ever since you joined the Satsuma Clan you've been like this, just what happened to you, Mina?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said calmly, trying to ignore her.

"It's because of her, isn't it? Just what is going on between you and Kensai this time, Mina?" the question suddenly caught my attention.

"Between me and Kensai?" I asked.

"Hai, what is going on between you two?!" Shion demanded.

"You can't tell her what's going on between us," Kensai's voice suddenly whispered into my ear.

The sound of her voice paralyzed me once more. My skin flinched as her hand trailed down to my shoulder, slipping downward as her palm slowly slid against my skin. Shion stood there with her arms crossed, her face annoyed. She couldn't see Kensai, nor could she hear her, I was the only one who can feel her presence whenever she wasn't in control of my body.

"Well, speak already!" Shion ordered once more.

"You can't tell her," Kensai whispered as her hand found its way to my face, petting the area around my left eye.

"I...," I began trying to explain, only to draw back once the tingling around my eye began to burn once more, "I'm...afraid...," were the only words I can muster.

"Afraid?" Shion began to calm down. "Just what are you afraid of?" Shion asked as she knelt down beside me.

"I'm afraid...," I tried to tell her once more.

"Don't tell her," Kensai whispered once more as the burning grew stronger.

"...of hurting you and Tetsu," I answered.

"That's a good girl...," Kensai said as her presence began to fade away.

"Why are you afraid of hurting us?" Shion asked.

"I don't want to share my pain with you," I answered, "because if I do then you'll all have to suffer as well."

"You're talking about the guilt of all those you killed, is that right?" Shion asked.

"Hai," I answered, "no matter how many times you lecture me and no matter how many times I do it, I can never get used to it."

"I see...," was the only thing she said after.

What I told her was the truth, even if it wasn't the whole truth. I could never get used to killing, I could never get used to being a murderer or a soldier, I just couldn't bear taking lives. I had been a soldier for two years, and I still had issues when it came to killing, even if I did show no mercy on the battlefield, I'd still feel the pain later.

"I guess I'm the same as you then," Shion admitted after a moment of silence.

"What?" I asked. "Shion, I thought you..."

"Despite what you have told me, I still feel guilt over killing," Shion said. "There are no innocents in war, but even so, who gets to say that those people were once innocent? I ask myself that question every time I go into combat, before I kill, but I always tell myself, that was the past, this is the present, live in the moment, that's all that counts. But then later I realize that's a lie, everything counts, past, present, future, all of it, that's what makes a person who they are! I don't know what I'm saying, this whole concept makes me go in nothing but circles, there is no definite conclusion that can come out of this! Even if there is no conclusion, the best thing to do is to not dwell on it."

"And how do you do that?" I asked.

"I read books," she answered.

"You mean those romance novels of your's?" I referred to the books she keeps in the corner.

"Hai," Shion nodded, "at times I think that sometimes our lives really are just books, we live through the good times and the bad, some end happily, others end sadly."

"What about our lives," I asked, "how do you think they'll end?"

"I don't know," Shion answered, "I try not to dwell on it too much."

"I see...," was all I could say. "Hm, what's this book?" I turned to the side to find a novel I had never seen before.

The cover and pages were all in good condition, not a scratch or mark anywhere. The pages were neatly written, not a single blotch of ink.

"Oh that book, I haven't read that one yet," Shion answered, "it's not even my favorite genre."

"'The Crimson String and the Four Destinies'," I read the title, "do you know what it's about?"

"A little," Shion answered. "It's about four individuals who grew up together, but eventually went down different paths in life. One lead the life of a wanderer, another a follower, the third became a criminal, and the fourth was unsure of what he wanted to do in life. Each of these individuals were blessed by Fate in a number of different ways. One was blessed with a scar, another was given a mark, one of the others was blessed in the heart, and the last one was blessed with Fate's tear. The majority of the story takes place after a war, when their country has just entered a new and uncertain era. It basically speaks of each of their lives up until their reunion, in which all four of the individuals engaged in combat with one another. Each of them had a different perspective on how the new era for their country should be shaped, but in the end, only one perspective was kept while four were discarded."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. "I don't get it."

"I don't either," Shion said, "you can read it if you want, I won't pick it up anytime soon."

"The scar, the mark, the heart, and the tear," Kensai's voice lingered back toward my ear, "doesn't that sound familiar," she said, obviously referring to me and Shinta.

"I can understand the scar and the tear part," I told her, "but what of the heart and mark?"

"You'll just have to see," Kensai snickered.

The scar, the mark, the heart, and the tear, whoever wrote that book sure had some weird imagination. But now that I think about this in the present, could that book have possibly been referring to my life somehow? Was it referring to Shinta's as well? What about... no, I can't say their names yet, I haven't come to that part of my story. Either way, that book may have some kind of key to my destiny, a destiny I am still awaiting...

Chapter 29 Liner Notes

  
  


What is Yasaka Shrine?- Yasaka shrine was one of the first Shinto temples ever built in Japan, much like the Touji Temple mentioned earlier in the story. The Yasaka Shrine also holds many of Japan's old treasures from the Tokugawa Shogunate, mostly gifts that were presented to the shrine by the emperor himself.

  
  


(Next time: "Destiny draws closer, I continue to dance as Fate's marionette as a moth would with a flame. The fires of hell have entered the shadows once more, but will they be able to sear a devil...?" -Himura Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: I swear, I'll make up for the lacking quality of this chapter in the next one. Go ahead and review me, but no flames as usual. My schedule for this week shouldn't be as bad so I don't think I have to rush the next chapter. Just to let you know ahead of time, that book that Shion has, 'The Crimson String and the Four Destinies', will play a large role in the later books, it's presentation will be greater there than this chapter. Well, five more chapters left and this story's over, hope you're all enjoying it so far.


	33. The Fire and the Devil Once More

Author's Note: Well, we've got a very important chapter here. I don't want to say to much, but Shishio and Misanagi return for one last hurrah in this book, the two will not make another appearance until book II. Oh, and I know the whole Misanagi appearance thing is usually random, but hey, wouldn't you be pissed at someone who tried to rape you? I mean, you'd strike when the person least expected it right? Oh forget it, let's get to the story. And one more thing, I have a special treat for you readers with the chapter, I've included part of the prologue for 'Crimson String''s side story, 'When Angels Lost Their Wings'. The fic stars Shion and Misanagi as the main characters, I'll give you more details on it later in the author's note in the liner notes.   
  


Chapter 30: The Fire and The Devil Once More  
  


More time had passed after I confessed my fear to Shion, nothing of real importance happened until the end of the year. The time of my story is now December 29, Western year 1867, a week after my brother and my anniversary. After my failed assassination of Okita Soushi, my name had become well known to the enemy side. Hitokiri Kensai, that was the last name that would escape every one of my victims' lips now before I slaughtered them. My bond to Kensai's contract was as strong as ever, the fire around my eye had been subsided, but the pain in my heart intensified. Again, I found myself locked in depression, just as I did a year ago. I often found myself having several bottles of sake each day after my assassinations, the taste of blood was always rich in the alcoholic substance. It would help me forget about the pain if only for a few hours, although my head would often hurt like hell the next morning. Smoking Shinji's old pipe sometimes helped ease the pain in my heart, although I hardly smoked fearing it would one day cause me to suffocate in battle. When neither of sake nor smoking was available, I read some books just as Shion suggested. I read a little bit of 'The Crimson String and the Four Destinies', it was a very deep book.

It was about four people who all walked down the same path in life during their childhoods, only to branch away from each other to become very different people. The first became a wanderer, looking for answers in life; the second became a follower, following others blindly as if he didn't have a will of his own; the third became a criminal, his mind was forever scarred by many tragedies that had occurred in his life; an the fourth one did not know what he wanted to do in life, he simply lived one day after another, going through one small goal at a time. I don't see how each of these individuals are blessed by Fate, more like cursed because of all the stuff they've gone through. The book doesn't even say who was blessed with what, the author must've forgotten or something. One was blessed with a scar, another was given a mark, a third had their heart blessed by Fate, and the fourth was blessed with Fate's tear. I don't really see how these were blessings, half of them seem like mutilations. I bet the criminal was given the scar, probably went crazy because it made him look ugly.

Anyway, during this day I was in Shion's room (more like our room since we were roommates now), finishing up some of the contents I left in Shinji's pipe the other day.

"Damn I'm bored," I muttered as I breathed one last puff from the pipe. "I think I've already gone through most of these books," I turned to the side where Shion kept some of her novels.

"Are you looking for something, Mina?" Shion came through the door a second later.

"Need something to read," I answered as I began stacking the books I've already read.

"Why don't you read that book I gave you?" Shion asked.

"I don't want to read anything too deep right now," I answered, "my head feels like shit at the moment and that book's got too many big words and such small text."

"You should really watch your alcohol," Shion sighed, "before you know it, you'll have a large belly and stagger with every step you take when you walk."

"I guess I should bring you out with me when I go drinking then," I said as I placed the last book on top of the stack. "Shion, you got any other books I haven't checked out yet?" I asked, taking hold of my throbbing head as I spoke.

"Well, I don't know if you'd like the other books I have...," Shion began eyeing her futon from the corner of her eyes.

"As long as it's easy reading, I don't care," I told her.

"Well, if you say so," Shion walked over to her futon. "Let's see, where'd I put them?" Shion asked herself as she removed the blanket from the mattress. "Oh, here they are!" Shion exclaimed, removing several books from a hole in her bed. "These books are really easy reading," Shion said as she placed the material on my lap.

"Oro?" I brought one of the books to my face. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!?!?!"

"Ah ha ha ha ha!" Shion laughed a second later after I saw the cover of the material. "It's shunga, Mina, some shunga I picked up from the bookstore a small while ago."

"EW!" I turned my head away from the explicit material, throwing the books to the floor a second.

"Oh don't do that," Shion said as she picked up one of the books, "look," she walked over beside me and held out one of the pictures before me.

"No way am I looking at that!" I shut my eyes and began to turn away, only to have Shion pull me back in.

"Come on, don't be shy," Shion teased, her fingers barely stroking my cheek. "Just a peek."

I don't get how people could get off on a bunch of paintings. What I saw was really disturbing, even if doesn't look realistic. There were two women on it, one on top of the other, kimonos open and... I don't even want to go into detail, it's just sickening remembering it. I don't think anyone's even flexible enough to do what those two women in that picture were doing! I hope sex doesn't look anything like that!

"For me," her voice barely whispered into my ear.

"Come on, Mina," Kensai's suddenly began brushing my other cheek, "look at it. I'm sure you'd like to be in the same position with Shinta."

"You two are just disgusting!" I yelled, keeping my eyes shut.

"Two?" Shion asked puzzled. "What are you talking about, I'm the only one in the room?"

"Just get it away from me, okay?!" I ordered, practically jumping out of my seat.

"Oh all right," Shion sighed as I heard a small thump in front of me.

Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, I opened my eyes, only to have them soiled. Stupid Shion didn't even close the book, she brought it right in front of my face instead.

"GROSS!!!!" I screamed as I swatted the book to the floor.

"Ah ha ha ha!" her trademark cackle continued. "You're so cute when you're blushing, you know," she said as her finger began running down my face.

"This is some pretty interesting material you got here," a third voice suddenly entered the room.

The Shion's laugh came to a stop as I opened my eyes once more to see who had entered the room. Before the doorway stood a man I had not seen in a very long time; long brown hair as dark as a bat's fur, eyes with the very same shade of blood, and the stench of the ruby elixir and ember were apparent all over his body.

"Shishio Makoto," I recognized our uninvited guest a second later.

"You know, Kensai, I thought you looked like a guy the last time we met, but I didn't think you also liked the ladies," Shishio said as he eyed the pornographic pages.

"Well you're the same prick you always were," I retorted.

"Oh, and it looks like you got yourself a girlfriend since we last met," Shishio turned his eye toward Shion after, "hey baboon bosom, it's been a while."

"Just what part of my chest looks like an ape?!" Shion yelled at the hitokiri.

"All of it," Shishio said calmly.

"Look you...!" Shion stomped, pushing me out of her hold in an instant.

"What are you doing here, Shishio?" I asked, interrupting the two's argument. "If you're here, then that means that..."

"The Cho Shu Clan is still alive and kickin', Kensai," Shishio stole the words from my mouth.

For a very long time, I felt as if my spirit was being lifted from my body. Okay, so maybe that last part sounded lame, but either way, I was once again happy. The throbbing in my temple moved to my cheeks, my heart began leaping from it's cage in my chest, and lips couldn't help but curl. They were alive, and that meant...

"Is my brother...?" I began to ask.

"As far as I know, he's doin' okay," Shishio answered, "I never talk to the guy."

"Did you hear that, Shion?" I asked her, practically speechless.

"Yeah, he just called me...," Shion was still not over Shishio's insult.

"Oh man," I sighed as I slapped my palm against my forehead.

"Shion-kun, Kensai," Saigo suddenly appeared beside Shishio.

"Sir!" Shion quickly shot forward, her back straight and arms perfectly set to her side.

"First she's horny, then she's angry, and now she's obedient, damn, talk about mood swing," I sighed once more as I did the same.

"I have a mission for the two of you this evening," Saigo informed us. "You two are to work together with Cho Shu's hitokiri, Shishio Makoto, in a mission that could jeopardize this entire war."

"Mind if I fill them in on the details?" Shishio interrupted our leader. "Anyway, you know that about a year ago, our clan was separated from your guys's, right?"

"Yeah, I was there when the attack began," I added.

"After the losing battle a year ago, the Cho Shu Clan had to live a life on the run," Shishio continued. "It was different from before we lost that battle, the Bakufu were constantly on our tail. We couldn't stay at an inn anymore, we were always on the move, usually taking refuge in the country fields. We couldn't come over to the Satsuma Camp in fear that if were to go here, the Bakufu would follow and eliminate the entire Ishin Shishi. The clan threatened to call mutiny on Katsura, we hadn't done anything but run since our failed ambush. Finally, during the fourth month of this year, Katsura had decided to split the Cho Shu Clan in two. One half of the clan was to go towards Edo and bring the war there, the other half was to remain in Kyoto and continue fighting as we did before. We lost a majority of the men that stayed in Kyoto, our clan was threatened to be killed off. Luckily, the half that was sent toward Edo was successful in bringing the war to Edo; they had joined up with voluntary groups mostly made up of farmers such as the Sekihoutai and others who were dissatisfied with the government. As far as we know, this war could come to a close as soon as the new year hits."

"What about my brother?" I asked. "Which side to he join?"

"Your brother is stuck here with the Cho Shu Kyoto unit," Shishio answered.

"And just where is the Kyoto unit located at the moment?" I asked.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you," Shishio answered, "I've been ordered to disclose our location to both enemy and ally. I'm simply here to ask for support for my next mission."

"And just what is this mission?" Shion asked.

"According to a message from our men in Edo, there is one final shipment of Spanish weaponry being transported into Kyoto," Shishio answered. "A majority of the shipment has been lost luckily thanks to the unit in Edo. According to our spies, there are approximately seventy rifles and ten cannons being shipped to Kyoto at this moment. I have been assigned to stop this shipment, along with the aid of Satsuma's finest. Saigo here said you two were the top two, and from the looks of things, we're screwed."

"Just what do you mean by that?" I could practically see a vein popping out of Shion's head.

"The battlefield is no place for women," Shishio answered, remaining as calm as ever.

"That's what you said last time and I proved you wrong!" I reminded Shishio of the night we ran into Usui.

"Regardless, melon tits here would be better off workin' in some restaurant instead of risking her ass on the battlefield," Shishio said, still keeping his cool.

"What exactly is your problem?!" Shion fumed.

"Calm down, Shion," I ordered.

"Not to worry, Shishio-san, we will lend you as much men as need be for this mission," Saigo informed him, "but you two must work for the Cho Shu Clan's hitokiri tonight, so put aside your differences for now," Saigo ordered Shion and me.

"Hai," we both nodded.

"If you'll excuse me then," Saigo began to make his way out of our barracks.

"I don't see why we have to work with this man," Shion grumbled as soon as our leader left.

"So this will put an end to the threats in Kyoto?" I asked Shishio.

"It should," Shishio answered, "if everything goes well in Edo, it'll be the Shinsengumi on the run all the time instead of us."

"That's a relief," I sighed. "So then I'll be able to see my brother within a week, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, if luck is on our side," Shishio answered.

'Finally,' I thought to myself, 'I can finally see my brother again.'

"Well I leave you carpet-munchers alone right now so you can get back to whatever you two were doing before I got here," Shishio began to leave.

"Just what makes him think I'm a lesbian?" I asked myself after.

Later that day, we were given even greater detail of our mission. The shipment was supposed to be coming from the east side of Kyoto around the hour of midnight. Some members of the Shinsengumi were to help transport the weapons, none of the squad's leaders were assigned to help guard it luckily. The supply was to be shipped little by little, they would bring in one cannon at a time along with seven rifles within a difference of at least thirty minutes. There would be approximately ten people guarding each shipment, so Saigo assigned fifteen more of our best men to assist us on this mission.

At the hour of eleven, we were all in position. It was just like old times before I became a hitokiri, the only difference was that my brother wasn't with me at the time.

"Five minutes," Shishio read from his watch, "get ready."

The shrubbery was very high during this time of year, but hiding in it felt as if we were hiding in snow itself. Winter nights like this one were never easy; my fingers would go numb if exposed to the air for at least a minute. My breathing was usually very heavy at nights like this, the air was always thick at this time.

"It's cold," I breathed as I rubbed my palms together.

"Need a light?" Shishio asked, taking his wakezashi and sliding it's blade against the ground.

A small spark ignited from the tip of the metal slab, that spark soon crawled up the steel curve and began glowing with red and orange. He had created a fire on his blade, just the sight of that flame returned the feeling to my fingers.

"How do you do that?" I asked in a whisper.

"The trick's in the oil," he answered.

"Oil?"

"Human oils taken from human fat," Shishio explained.

"GROSS!" I practically screamed.

"Sh!" everyone shushed me in an instant.

"I don't clean my blade after killing," Shishio continued, "and so, the oil stays on blade, and when I strike my blade against something, a fire can start from friction."

"That's pretty clever, but still disgusting," I said as my eyes focused on the flame.

"I think that's them," Shion soon alerted everyone.

I turned back to the road before me. There was a device moving forward, it was some sort of large device covered by blanket being pushed by a wagon. It was obvious that this was part of the shipment, and there were ten individuals surrounding the device just as our spies informed. None of them were wearing the sky blue coats of the Shinsengumi though, but it was obvious that these men were still Bakufu.

"Wait for my signal," Shishio ordered as he lifted his hand to the level of his face.

I began to lock my knees in an angle, my left hand quickly reached for the wrapping around the scabbard of my katana as my right floated centimeters above it's hilt. I began to lock my breath inside my lungs, preventing any white mist from escaping my lips or nose. I could hear each inch the wagon's wheels rolled, creaking with each pebble it crushed as it rolled. I wanted to strike at that very moment, but my conscience held me back before I could strike.

"What are you waiting for," I suddenly felt Kensai's back pressing behind mine, "attack!"

"No," I told her, "not until I receive the order."

"You need no order," she told me, "you can take them."

"They've got guns though," I informed her, "and a cannon."

"So, that doesn't mean anything," Kensai said, "go!"

"No!" I began to raise my voice from it's whisper.

"You want to be reunited with your brother sooner, don't you?" Kensai asked. "Then go!"

"I'm not going," I began to lose my temper.

"Oh yes you are," the mark around my eye began to burn once more.

"No, I'm not," I began ignoring the burn.

"Yes you are," the searing grew stronger with her voice.

"No, I'm not."

"You are..."

"No..."

"Going to..."

"No..."

"Kill them..."

"No..."

"All now."

"I said no!" I screamed, fed up with Kensai's orders.

"What was that?!" the guards must've heard my scream.

"Goddammit, Kensai!" all of my fellow soldiers yelled at me.

"Told you were going," Kensai smirked.

"Fuck off," I told her.

"Argh!" I suddenly heard a scream from the area around the wagon.

"Who the...?" Shion asked as the men surrounding the shipment suddenly began to fall.

It was weird, there was not one soldier missing from our entire group, and somehow, the men protecting the cannon and guns were dying. I watched as one of the men pulled out one of the rifles from the wagon, only to drop it to the floor a second later as a gush of scarlet suddenly burst from the back of his neck. I turned my attention to another man, standing there paralyzed with fear as another one of his allies fell into a pool of their own blood. As soon as his back turned, his head suddenly flew upward, pushed by a geyser of ruby that erupted from the base of his neck. Whoever was attacking these men had superhuman speed, perhaps even god-like. I caught a flash of chocolate brown with a blink of an eye as I turned to the remaining guard, the flash was in the shape of a butterfly. I instantly knew who was behind this after catching a glimpse of the insect hair, it was...

"The Sanada Ninjas," I identified the attackers.

Just as I had said their name, the evening winds suddenly whistled my way, along with the sound of two thuds from behind me. Without a moment of hesitation, my fingers quickly grasped the hilt of my katana, prying the entire sword outward with the swing of my arm. The steel curve embedded itself in one of the black figures behind me, quickly pulling itself away before a second could pass only to engrave itself once more in the other ninja standing next to him. I turned back to the wagon, only to have several more shinobi block my path.

"Get out of my way!" I ordered the men.

Of course they didn't listen, instead responding with the raise of their blades. With their swords still above their heads, I plunged mine forward, engraving it just above one of the warrior's abdomens. The other two swung their blades downward in unison, only to slice the air. I had evaded their strike by spinning out of their attack's path, leaving my katana plunged inside my latest victim. Just as my spin made me face my opponents again, I took hold of the remaining space in the hilt of their swords, spinning again so that I could twist the short blades out of their hands. My spin lead me behind the two shinobi, my arms pushing backward in as our backs were facing one another, immersing the swords into their owners' spines. The three ninjas spiraled into the blood soaked ground after, my hand prying my katana into my grasp once more as the man fell to his grave.

"You never cease to impress me, Hitokiri Kensai," I voice I grew tired of soon echoed from behind.

"How many times must we fight?" I sighed as I turned to my next opponent. "I thought I made it clear to you that I have no intention of fighting you, that I don't."

"Of course you wouldn't have any intention," Misanagi began pacing forward, her arm removing the straight steel device on her back, "after what you did to me back in Osaka a year ago I have no purpose in your sick mind, do I?!"

"Kill her," Kensai whispered into my ear.

"Kensai, I...," I turned to her.

"I said kill her!" the burn intensified even more.

"Ugh!" my palm met with the area around my left eye.

Just as the burn began to sear my eye even further, the winds suddenly began to blow in my direction. With one hand still holding my sword and the other gripping the area around my eye, I was barely able to catch my enemy's attack.

"Kill her," Kensai ordered once more as the burning grew.

"Argh!" I screamed.

"You're already screaming in pain before I've even touched you," Misanagi smirked.

With a simple shove to her sword, she was able to push me to the floor. The frozen blades of wheat broke my fall, temporarily soothing the pain around my eye. In the blink of an eye, I soon found a shimmering piece of metal falling in my direction. Using the icy surface to my advantage, I pushed all of my weight to my right shoulder, allowing me to roll out of harm's way. Just as I found my back lying against the ground again, several pieces of metal were suddenly hurled in my direction. I rolled once more to evade a majority of the projectiles, using my katana to deflect the rest.

"You've improved," Misanagi said as I began pushing myself back to my feet.

"I don't want to have bring myself to kill you, Misanagi," I told her as I placed my sword into my left hand, "but if you continue to attack me in such a manner..."

"Shut your mouth!" another projectile suddenly escaped her palm.

A sharp pin suddenly shot from my right arm, the river of ruby that emitted from the newly formed crater burned the instant it touched the air. The blood and wound had already become frozen, my entire right arm was numb, but then again, I had no intention of using my right arm for the remainder of this battle.

"Why do you continue to challenge me over and over again, Misanagi?" I asked as I pressed the hilt of my sword against my wound, the gap between my fingers taking hold of the shuriken lodged in.

"Why do you have to ask me such a thing, Kensai?!" she spat. "What you did to me back there was unforgivable, there's no way I can let you go for such a heinous act!"

The woman did have a point, but it did annoy me that she just couldn't let it go. Her battle was with Kensai, not me, but there would be no way the ninja would believe me if I told her. I felt guilty every time I fought with the shinobi, I guess it was kind of my fault for what Kensai did to her, but it was either fight back or be killed. In the situation that was in at the time, it was kill or be killed, either way I would have to listen to Kensai's order of killing Misanagi.

"You may be right that you can't let me go for such a crime," I said as I twirled my katana between my fingers, allowing the sword's hilt to point upward, "but I can't allow you to take my life just yet. There's a person I haven't been able to see for the longest time, and until I see this person once more, I can't allow you to take my life, that I cannot!" I screamed.

"Really," she smirked, "well then I guess you'll never see them again, now will you?"

Anger got the best of me when she said those words, I began to disregard her in life with that threat she had just made. I remember the feel of the outer curve of my sword returning to the space inside it's constraint, slipping every so gently until a click echoed signaling it was in place. My left hand took hold of my sword's hilt, twisting it halfway so that the outer curve was now facing the earth. My right leg had bent forward, my left had bent back as my right arm dangled on my side. I had been practicing this technique for so long, it was finally time to use it in battle.

"Left-Handed Battoujutsu," Misanagi instantly recognized my stance, "do you really believe such an attack is possible?"

"Do you always waste your breath before every losing battle?" I snapped back.

"You'll take that back with your life!" the shinobi screamed.

In that very instant, both of our legs pushed forward. I remember the impact of my first step as it crushed the white powder below my feet, the next impact was even greater than the last. A third step followed, digging deeper into the earth. The steps became more rapid, more powerful with every second that passed. Our feet could shake mountains or islands by the time we were within arm's reach of one another. The force of her feet came to a stop as they slide against the snow, the power moving toward her arms as she swung the blade downward. With a jerk of my feet, my right side was once again facing my opponent, my left arm pulling forward as it began stealing the power that was within my feet. A cry of battle escaped both of our lips, the force of our blades intensifying with the screams. Steel soon grinded against steel, the metals screeching upon impact. My arm had jerked back in a small instant, only to slowly push forward again in the next. A small creak had blown into my ear, followed by another. My arm was still pushing forward but barely. The push slowly became stronger, and the echoes caused by the blades grew. Finally, my arm had stopped pushing, my entire body had suddenly fell forward.

"Impossible," was the only word I heard that had escaped the shinobi's lips before our faces met with the white powder below.

My face was burning from ice and anger after my body collapsed to the floor. My eyes were narrowed, my fist was clenched tightly around my sword. My fingers began to flinch suddenly, slowly freeing my sword from my hand, and my eyes began to widen. The anger that was stinging my face had subsided, soothed my two rivers of ice crawling down my cheeks. I was crying, I had given in to my anger and...

"I...," was the only thing that could escape my lips.

"Not now," I heard my opponent's voice along with the crushing of snow, "I can't die now. I won't die now..."

"Misanagi...?" I turned to my opponent to find her standing once more.

Heavy clouds of mist were escaping her mouth, her left arm holding a frozen lake of crimson pouring down her right shoulder. The hue of her eyes were now burning with red, a broken sword held in her bloodied right hand. To my relief, she was still alive, and yet, she was going to kill me.

"I can end this now," she limped forward, "I can finally end my pain with your life!" the shattered blade rose upward.

"I don't think so," a flame suddenly ignited from behind.

"Look out!" I used my remaining strength to jump from the frozen ground.

The fire flew downward as a steel curve marked it's path. My body collided with the shinobi's before the flames could ignite her skin, turning it's burn to the ruby snow below. The comfort of the ninja's torso had caught my fall, I had saved her from death once, but I didn't think I would be able to do it again.

"Kensai?" Shishio looked at me puzzled.

The shinobi turned to me with a confused look in her eyes as I rose my head from her body. A smile stretched across my face knowing that I had saved her, but the look on her face was as confused as ever. The ninja's eyes suddenly widened a second later, it was the same time I had felt the back of my head beginning to sweat. In an instant, she pushed me away and staggered to her feet as quickly as possible, turning her back to me as she began running deeper into the battlefield.

"Run," I told her as her form began to disappear in the midst of the fighting.

"Kensai, what the hell did you do that for?!" Shishio yelled a second later.

"I have my reasons," I answered with my back still turned.

"I can't believe you just...!" Shishio continued.

"Another shipment is arriving at this time, sir," another soldier suddenly appeared and informed Shishio.

"I might as well take this one by myself," Shishio sighed.

"Wait," I tugged on the hitokiri's sleeve before he left.

"What do you want?" he scoffed.

"Can you give this message to my brother?" I asked as I removed an envelope from my pocket.

"Your brother?" he asked, the anger in his voice subsided.

"That's right," I answered as I rose to my feet, "it's a letter for him. Can I ask you to deliver it to him for me?"

"Che, why should I?" he spat. "It's because of you that the Sanada Ninja's leader got away."

"I'm sorry about letting her go, but this is very important to me," I told him. "Please, give this to him."

My eyes began to weigh my face down after I said those words. Tears were about to escape from their hold, but sealed away by the winter breeze that froze the crimson river that was flowing down my arm. For once in my life, I had seen a face of Shishio I had never seen, it was concern. The man had always come off as a rude and perhaps even evil individual, but when I saw his face, I knew at that moment that he really was a human being. Did my frozen tears thaw his heart if only for that one moment, or did he lock his emotions away when he became a hitokiri?

"All right," he slowly nodded, "I'll give this to him."

"Really?!" a smile suddenly stretched across my face once more.

"It looks like the ninjas are makin' a run for it with their leader too," Shishio turned to the battlefield once more. "I'll give this to your brother, I promise," he assured me.

"Arigatou," I bowed.

"Mina, are you okay?" Shion suddenly appeared by my side.

"You and bongo boobs get outta here, I'll take of the rest, okay?" he ordered calmly.

"What did you...?!" Shion flared.

"Shion," I took hold of her arm, "we better do as he says."

I began pulling Shion away from the battlefield, only to be stopped a step later.

"Hey," Shishio called. "You're a good girl, you know that, Kensai? A person like you makes me wish I had a sister."

I simply smiled at the man and began making our way out of the battlefield.

"He should be here at any minute," I told myself as I took my seat.

"Do you think Shishio really gave your brother that letter?" Kensai asked.

"I'm sure he did," I answered, "I could tell that he really was going to deliver it to my brother."

I had written a letter addressed to my brother earlier that day. It told him that I was doing okay in the Satsuma Clan and that I missed him so. It spoke of how I thought of him everyday, how I thought of our future together. I wanted to see him again, so very badly. The end of the letter told him to meet me at the mochi restaurant Tetsu, Shion and I went to during the spring. I told him the letter to meet me there around two in the morning, luckily the restaurant was open twenty-four hours a day and also acted as an inn. I had dressed up in my best clothing, something Shion had given to me for my birthday. It was a sakura-pink kimono with a splash of violet on the right sleeve and lower half of the outfit. I never had an opportunity to dress up in an outfit such as that back then, it reminded me of that time Shinta and I went out on the town during Kodomo-No-Hi.

"Hm, he's running a bit late," I looked at the clock which read two-thirty, "oh well, that's okay."

He was running more than a bit late, the second time I had turned to the clock it was three. More time had passed the third time I looked, the hour had become three-twenty. I was beginning to get worried, but then I told myself that he probably had to return to the Cho Shu Headquarters late because he was out on a mission. Another hour passed, and still no sign of Shinta; regardless, I continued to wait for him in the very same spot. By the time the sun rose, I was practically asleep, close to drowning in my glass full of sake. It was then that the door to the restaurant finally swung open.

"Shinta!" I sprang to my feet with renewed energy. "It's you," I returned to my seat when I had seen who had come through the door.

"Mina, I'm so very sorry," Shion said, her eyes turned to the floor.

"Sorry, for what?" I asked, tears returning to eyes once again.

"Kenshin-san won't be coming here," Tetsu informed me.

"Nani?!" I asked practically screaming. "Did something happen to him? Was he hurt? Or was he...?"

"It's not that, Mina," Shion shook her head, "it's just that...," her voice suddenly croaked.

"Just that what?" I asked frantically. "What is it, Shion, you have to tell me!"

"It is my sad duty to inform you that Shishio Makoto of the Cho Shu Clan has been killed," Tetsu answered, his eyes also drawn to the floor.

"Shishio is...," my voice began to crack.

"He was killed moments after we had left," Shion sniffed, "he was shot by the guards carrying the next shipment and then his body was burned."

"So my brother never...," the translucent rivers began crawling down my cheeks once more.

"I hated the man, but he didn't deserve to die," Shion cried.

"Shinta...," his name barely escaped my lips.

"I know this isn't the right time to say this, but I heard it was our own men that eliminated Shishio," Tetsu suddenly brought up.

"Nani?! Naze?!" I yelled between my tears.

"There is a rumor that Ishin Shishi is exterminating it's own hitokiries to prevent secrets from getting out to the public," Tetsu answered.

"That's a lie!" Shion yelled. "Why would our own forces do such a thing after all we've done for them?!"

"Where the fuck did you get this information, Tetsu?!" I growled. "How the hell do we know you're not just making this shit up?!"

"I didn't," Tetsu rose his hands up in defense, "I heard it from some of the men at breakfast."

"And why are you telling us now," Shion asked, infuriated, "a key member of our forces is dead, and you're bringing up such horrid gossip at such a time?!"

"All I'm saying is that you two could be next," Tetsu said, "it would be best that you two quit before..."

"Nothing but lies, Tetsu!" I spat. "What would the Ishin Shishi have to hide, huh?! All we're trying to do is create a new nation for our country and you're trying to ruin our good name!"

"It's not that I believe the rumors, it's just that...," Tetsu tried to explain.

"Shut the fuck up, Tetsu!" I yelled. "I don't need this bull shit!"

Without saying another word, I left the restaurant. The Ishin Shishi killing off their own men, that's preposterous, at least that's what I thought at the time. Little did I know that Tetsu was telling the truth back then, and that not believing his words would lead me even deeper into the path of violence.  
  


Chapter 30 Liner Notes  
  


What is 'shunga'?- Shunga is perhaps the earliest form of hentai. Shunga are picture books that depict two people having sex, sometimes there even stories in those books. The pictures are drawn like traditional Japanese paintings, you know, with the small eyes and pale white skin on people. There are also some yaoi and yuri shunga (it's obvious which type of shunga Shion owns).  
  


A little bit about Shishio in this fic- The reason why Shishio is kind of nice and not all crazy yet is because he wasn't burned by the Ishin Shishi yet. I believe he said something in one of the episodes (can't remember the number, but it was the one where Kenshin met him in Shingetsu [or however you spell it] Village) that being burned alive made him realize trust will be betrayed. Being burned alive by the people you once worked for would make anyone crazy, so that's why Shishio isn't the way he is in the anime and manga series.  
  


Info on the Hitokiri Extermination Movement- Just as Tetsu said, there were rumors near the end of the Meiji Revolution that the Ishin Shishi were killing off their own assassins. A majority of the Ishin Shishi's assassins were killed during the final year of the war, other were killed shortly after. Some of the assassins were charged with crimes against the new government, whether or not these men committed those crimes cannot be proven in the present. Other assassins joined Saigo in the Seinan Wars (I wrote a liner note on this in an earlier chapter I think) and were killed then. Nearly every assassin that worked for the Ishin Shishi was killed off by their former employers (sucks doesn't it?).  
  


(Next time: "Lies and blasphemy, the truth has been concealed from my eyes for so long. Good and evil, I can't tell which is which anymore. Life and death, all is the same in my eyes now. Black and white, all I see before me is red... -Himura Mina)  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was it? We all know what really happened to Shishio, we know who really burnt him. Well, unfortunately our heroine is going to have to find out the truth the hard way. Well, why don't you leave me a review, but no flames as usual. Now then, about the 'Crimson String' side story, 'When Angels Lost Their Wings', it begins a day after the final chapter of 'Crimson String Book I', I don't want to say much more. The following text is a preview of the prologue of 'When Angels Lost Their Wings', it is the second half of the prologue, the first can be found in the latest chapter of 'Crimson Puddles' written by Crystal. The two of us have decided to work on this fic together, Crystal will do Misanagi's POV and I will do Shion's. This fic will later star Aoshi and Misao in roles you never thought you'd see them play (well, in Misao's case anyway). The following preview has been edited so that a majority of the spoilers for the remaining four chapters of 'Crimson String Book I' will not be revealed. Well, enjoy it.  
  


Shion's Prologue  
  


Fifteen years ago, that was when it all began. I remember it all, how this whole incident began. January 5, Western year 1868, that was the beginning of my new life...

"Shion, stop this now!" she begged as we clashed blades once more.

"Mina, you know I can't," I told her, "orders are orders, they come before friendship."

It hurt when I said that, but it hurt even more as she pushed her blade forward, causing my feet to trip over each other. I began to fall backward just as Mina's blade had done the same. The steel kissed my flesh for a mere second, skidding across southwest, adding another crescent mark over my chest. The burn of the new scar seared through my entire body, subsiding with my scream.

"Gomen nesai," she apologized as I held the 'X' now marked on my heart.

"You needn't apologize," I told her, "I'm the one who should since I will be the one to take your life!" I screamed.

I swung first this time, our blades met once more. I pushed the bottom half of my weapon forward as the two steel slabs locked, the shorter blade barely skimmed her leg. With a scream, the strength exerted on her katana faltered, leaving her open to attack. I wanted to end this quickly and as painlessly as possible, so I pushed the top half of my weapon forward, aiming for the base of her neck. Her katana caught my naginata's blade once more, and again, we were engaged in a contest of strength.

"Don't you get it, Shion," she tried negotiating once more, "once you kill me, the Ishin Shishi will do the same with you, it's just as Tetsu said."

"Funny that you should talk about Tetsu," I smirked, "you're the one that killed him!" I yelled as I pushed all my weight forward causing her to fall back.

"I didn't have a choice," Mina explained, "it was either him or me!"

"But what about his family?!" I reminded her. "What about his sons?! They no longer have a father because of what you did! He had someone to go back to, but what about you, who do you have to go back to?!"

"My brother, that's who!" she screamed.

Our feet began to press forward once more. My blades came from the east this time, I was focusing all my strength in this one blow. Our front feet were aligned a second later, and at that same moment, a loud crash had filled the area.

The next thing I remember was returning to the Satsuma Camp. Fifteen soldiers were waiting for me at the entrance, smirks stretched across their faces as I entered the camp.

"Mission complete," I told them, almost passing out as I spoke.

"Excellent," one of them said, "but I'm afraid we have no more use for you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

The next thing I knew, I was forced to the ground, my arms and legs being held down. I knew what these men had in mind at that moment, I could tell by those snickers and simpers that followed after.

"Stop it!" I yelled at the individuals. "Let me go!"

I shut my eyes as I felt one of their fingers crawling against my skin, only to shut them tighter as the sound of fabric tearing filled my ears. More fingers began crawling after, and other devices that began slipping against my skin.

"Please stop," I begged practically in tears, "stop it!"

I don't even want to recall what happened next. All I can really remember was my entire crevice of my body was aching. I just wanted to die as they ravaged my being, I had never felt so dirty in my entire life. The last thing I remember during that whole incident was being covered in some unknown substance as my body began slicing against the wind, right before I felt it sinking to what seemed like a body of water.

For a long time, liquid and air seemed have exchanged places in filling my lungs, my body dipped up and down in the body of water I was in. I was too tired to swim, my entire body was so sore, I just wanted the river or whatever I was in to drag me into the abyss. That just didn't happen. The next thing I remembered was feeling something against my body, it was a very rough surface. I'm sure it was rock of some sort, but it just didn't matter to me at the time, I thought I was going to die. I soon felt my arms being lifted by something, my feet began dragging against the floor. Arms wrapped underneath my legs after, just as my arms were thrown across what seemed like someone's shoulders. Someone was carrying me, I didn't know who, and I didn't want to know.

"God, just kill me now," I said underneath my breath.

I let the darkness take me again, but it couldn't hold me for very long. Something had dragged me out of it, a voice to be exact.

"Harboring a criminal is a serious offense to the new government," was what I heard, along with the clicking of rifles.

"Ugh...?" the darkness before my eyes began to unveil.

A shimmering metal I knew too well lay before my eyes, as well as the body of an ex-ally, a soldier of the Ishin Shishi. The pain in my body was as strong as ever, but I had to ignore it for the time being. I mustered enough strength to take the blade sitting before me off the ground, using the rest to scout out the area. It didn't take long for me to find a group of my ex-allies, all of them with rifles, pointing them at a small number of individuals in black. One of those individuals just happened to catch my eye, the only female in the group. Hair as brown as chocolate, and eyes of a cinnamon shade, I had seen her once before. It was that woman that Kensai tried to have her way with the day before Kodomo-No-Hi, the leader of the Sanada Ninjas.

"Well if you plan on shooting us, then do it," the shinobi ordered.

"I'd let them go if I were you," I used more strength to speak.

"Hitokiri Shion!" one of them screamed.

Strength had began to return to my system, my legs began pushing forward. Shards of metal began to escape the barrels of their guns, a majority of those barrels pointed at me. Left and right, up and down, there was no way an ordinary person could dodge all those bullets, but I'm no ordinary person. Each of those bullets met nothing but the air or the steel held between my palms.

"Forget the guns," one of them ordered, "just use your swords!"

All of the foreign weapons dropped to the floor in the same instant, just a step before my feet passed them. My blade pressed forward in the next second, plunging into the first man I saw right before he drew his blade. From the corner of my eye, I could see another batch of individuals drawing their swords, there was no time for me to react. Before their blades could touch my flesh, their blades suddenly clattered to the ground. I looked to their backs and found several pieces of metal lodged into each of their backs. The whistle of steel entered my ear again, this time it came from the east. I pushed my feet into the ground after, darting into the heavens a second later, barely avoiding the stab. I brought my sword downward, having it lead my path back to the ground.

"Akai Chi Ryu, Koukougeki!" I screamed.

A geyser of red filled my vision as the metal curve dug into the man's skull, grinding his bone and muscle together. I don't what happened next, but my strength suddenly began to drain from my body once more. Aside from the blast of crimson that clouded my vision, the last thing I saw before passing out was a figure before me, sword in one hand and knife in the other.  
  


Author's Note: Well, how was the preview? First off, I want to thank Crystal for helping me write this fic, you're a great writer Crystal, and your reviews encourage me to continue writing. Second, the details in this preview are somewhat sketchy because this is only a rough draft, I'll fill in a lot more details for the final. Anyway, a bit more info on the side story: Mina might appear in the story, but she won't be a main character. Aoshi, Misao, and the rest of the Oniwaban-shu will appear later in the fic, they will be playing very large roles in the story. I guess that's all the info I can give you for now. Anyway, go ahead and leave me a review, but no flames as usual. 'Crimson String Book I' has four more chapters left, and then we'll move on to book II and 'When Angels Lost Their Wings'. So I guess that's it for now, later.


	34. Broken

Author's Note: Really big stuff happening in this chapter. I don't think I'll say anymore, let's just get to the story.

  
  


Chapter 31: Broken

  
  


About a week had passed after Shishio's death, I still couldn't believe what Tetsu had said that day. Rumors that the Ishin Shishi were killing off their own hitokiries simply to hide secrets was nothing but blasphemy in my ears. Shishio's sacrifice did not go to waste however, the shipment was stopped by the remaining Ishin Shishi soldiers, we were even able to take the weaponry for ourselves. The date of my story is now January 5, Western year 1868, also known as the final year of the Meiji Revolution.

"Shall we get going?" Shion asked as I took a puff from Shinji's old pipe.

"Why bother?" I answered. "Give the dogs a small break for once, besides, I'm enjoying myself here."

It was just as Shishio said, the Ishin Shishi would be able to take over the government by the new year. A new emperor was crowned during the end of the last year, Emperor Mutsuhiro. With Mutsuhiro on the throne, the Tokugawa Shogunate was no more, well, a majority of them anyway. Small remnants of the Bakufu and Shinsengumi still remained, now living on the run just as our forces did during a majority of the war. Emperor Mutsuhiro's first order for the newly established government was simple; destroy the remaining factions of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the order was given on January third, Western year 1868. The Ishin Shishi could now travel in groups into the city without having to worry about being stopped by the Shinsengumi, our roles with those Mibu Wolves have been reversed now. "Aku Zoku Zan" was their motto I believe, it was such a shame that they had become that evil ever since we had taken over. Hitokiries such as Shion and myself were no longer needed, all assassins of the Ishin Shishi were made into regular soldiers after the Shogunate fell. Our jobs were simple now; kill anyone who represents the former government. That was always my job, although now I didn't have to kill any witnesses who saw my acts.

"Is there even a need for us anymore?" Shion asked as she took a seat beside me. "I mean, the new government has everything under control, right? I don't see why they need all of the remaining members of the Cho Shu and Satsuma Clans."

"Maybe they want to have an effective sweep of the Bakufu," I answered. "Still, most of the soldiers don't even do anything anymore, they'll just slay a Bakufu soldier if they happen to find one in town."

"That's true," Shion nodded.

"The one thing I don't get is that this war is virtually over and yet we still haven't met up with the Cho Shu Clan," I brought up.

"You're talking about a reunion with your brother, right?" Shion asked.

"Hai," I nodded, "it's been a year since I've seen him, my last chance to see him was through Shishio but he was killed that evening."

"Once we've totally annihilated the Bakufu, I'm sure you'll meet up with again," Shion assured me.

"Yeah, I should," I took one last breath from my pipe. "And you thought you weren't going to make it into this new era," I reminded her of her speech two years ago.

"I guess I was wrong," Shion smiled.

"Hey Shion, come with me," I suddenly brought up.

"Nani?" she asked, puzzled.

"When this is all over really over, come with me," I repeated. "Last year, my brother and I decided that we would both wander the country together, I would appreciate if you accompany us, that I would."

"I wouldn't want to intrude...," Shion said.

"Oh no, I insist that you come with us," I told her. "I'm sure my brother wouldn't mind, that he wouldn't. I don't want to sound rude, but do you have anywhere else you could go?"

"...no," she answered with her head sulking to the floor, "I don't."

"Shion, you've helped me a lot during this whole conflict," I told her taking hold of her hand, "I would've died a long time ago if it wasn't for all your help. You were always there for me; when I was about to commit suicide, when I needed advice on how to get my brother, and when I was separated from the Cho Shu Clan, you were always there, Shion. It would be an honor to have you, my best friend, accompany my brother and me on our journey throughout the country, that it would. So Shion, will you take me up on this offer, please?"

Her eyes widened after the last word of my sentence. She turned to our hands as our fingers curled against one another, pausing for a moment before she looked to my face once more. Her lips began to quiver as clear streams began running down her cheeks. Her fingers quickly released my own as her arms flew forward, wrapping around my body as her chin met with my shoulder.

"Oh Mina," she cried, "of course, of course I'll go with you."

"Arigatou," I thanked her with a pat to her neck, "this means a lot to me, it really does."

"Kensai, Shion-san," a knock suddenly wrapped on our door.

"It's you," I glared at the figure standing in the doorway.

It was Tetsu, the man I once considered a friend during the early parts of the Revolution. Just the sound of voice, his very presence, would make my temper boil. Every time I saw him, I just wanted to ring his neck around my bare palms, squeezing the life out of him little by little. That rumor of Shishio's death was an insult, I didn't think that rumor was true at the time, but then...

"I'm sorry for the intrusion, but...," Tetsu began to speak.

"Just get away from my sight before I tear out your trachea with my bare hands!" I threatened.

"Mina!" Shion looked at me, appalled by my language.

"I understand how you must feel, but I didn't create those ru...," he began to explain.

"Like I give a damn," I spat as I approached him. "You've got some nerve telling us that bull shit back there, you know that?" I said shoving the man a step backward.

"Mina-san, stop it," Tetsu ordered as I shoved him another step backward.

"Stop, stop what, huh?" I shoved him again. "I have no reason to listen to any word that comes out of your mouth after what you said, you're just lucky that I haven't killed you yet!"

"Mina, stop!" Shion began to pull me back.

"You know, I don't even know why I haven't killed you yet," I said with one last shove, pushing my former friend to the ground, "but since I've brought up the subject...," I began to remove the metal curve from it's oak restraint.

"Mina, don't!" Shion began to pull on my arm once more.

"Mina-san, please!" Tetsu began to beg.

"Shut your mouth!" I ordered as I fully unsheathed the blade. "Die as the dog you are!" my katana began to rise into the air.

"What's going on here?!" a fourth voice suddenly interrupted.

"Saigo-dono," I turned to our leader who stood a few feet away.

"Saigo-sama, please excuse Mina for what happened, you see...," Shion began to explain.

"I needn't an explanation," Saigo told her. "Kensai, I have a mission for you this evening," Saigo turned toward me.

"What is it?" I asked as I slid my sword back into it's sheath.

"A small faction of the remaining Shinsengumi has been located in the fields to the west of the city," Saigo informed as he handed me a map. "This map shall give you their exact location, I want you neutralize these Wolves."

"Understood," I took the papyrus into my pocket.

"You will attack them at the hour of four-thirty, is that clear?" Saigo continued.

"Hai," I answered, "I will not fail you, that I won't."

"Arigatou," Saigo bowed before making his leave.

"I suggest you get out of here too," I sneered at Tetsu.

"Mina, don't you think you're overreacting?" Shion asked as Tetsu began to follow our leader.

"I don't think so," I answered, "I think the man deserves how I treat him."

Did he deserve it, I thought so at the time, but of course, my opinion changed. Every time I mistreated Tetsu, I swear I could always hear a snicker coming from Kensai. I never really understood that woman, I don't think I can ever understand such a dark person. What am I talking about, I did understand, slowly but surely, I had not only understood her, I had become her.

It didn't take long for the hour of four-thirty to arrive, I simply read my book to let the time fly by. There wasn't any snow that day, it was odd weather we were having that week. The sun was so warm; it was glowing with a red-orange hue, it kind of reminded me of the blood I split, but I was able to shrug the thought off quickly.

"Target sighted," I spotted the pack of Wolves as I hid in the shrubbery.

There they were, I counted ten of those Mibu dogs sitting in a dry patch in a field. I knew that the remaining factions of the Shogunate were small, but not this small. I guess their forces were separated from one another after the Ishin Shishi took over the government.

I began shuffling closer into the pack, their sky blue coats glowing brighter with each step. The men were not aware of my presence at the time, that was the perfect time to strike.

"Kyah!" I screamed as I drew my blade.

"What the hell?!" the wolves began drawing their blades.

Just as my sword was fully drawn, it had already caught itself onto the neck of a Wolf. I hadn't even given the dying soldier any time to scream, I just pressed my blade with all my might until it was on the other side of his trachea. I heard another whistle of steel falling from behind, the fool must've thought I had no time to recover from my last attack. Using the back of my shoulder, I rammed the corpse of my attacker's ally toward him. His steel fang met with the arm of his comrade, leaving him open to my attack. I spun backward so that my back was now facing his, my blade was just about ready to spin once more.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Kan-Sen!" I screamed.

The outer edge dug into the spine of my enemy, freeing a geyser of blood in the process. The remaining Mibu Wolves stood in place, frozen with fear. Their hands were shaking, their knees seemed locked, rivers of sweat flowed down their brows, and gravity had taken hold of their jaws. I couldn't help but smirk at the sight, it was something she would have done.

"Kill them," she whispered into my ear.

"You needn't tell me what to do," I told her.

"W..we're not telling you what to do," one of the Wolves stuttered, "please just...!"

"I don't need to listen to you!" I sprang forward with my blade leading my path.

The kiss of metal quickly suckled that man's life away, had my sword's thirst for blood quenched? No, it did not. The Wolf's blood had not skimmed down the edge of my sword, I knew it was still thirsty. I turned to the remaining Wolves, narrowing my eyes as I spotted them. Their swords were suddenly pulled from their hands by gravity, their backs suddenly turned. There was no way I'd let them escape.

"You're not going anywhere!" I screamed.

Again I sprang forward, this time I held my sword above my head. It came down in an angle, slicing through two of the remaining wolves' necks. Despite the burst of red that had erupted from both of those men, my sword's thirst was still not quenched. It wanted more.

"Running cannot prevent the inevitable!" I screamed as chased after the remaining men.

Another splash of crimson came with another swing of my arm, followed by a third with another swing. Everywhere I swung, a geyser of blood would erupt. Left and right, up and down, everywhere I turned, the color of scarlet would cloud my vision. The only figure I could make out in those red bursts was the other soul that had resided in my body. A smirk had perched on her face; her lips would widen with each new splash, her eyes would narrow at the sound of screams, and a laugh had escaped her throat once the deed was done.

"Beautiful," she applauded.

"Hai, it is," I had agreed with her.

Just then, another step had entered the area. I readied my katana once more as I turned to the source. The blade lowered to my side once I realized who it really was; it was several fellow soldier from the Ishin Shishi.

"Himura Mina, or should I say Hitokiri Kensai," one of the soldiers addressed me.

"What do you want?" I asked, glaring at the man for interrupting my latest work.

The clicking of rifles soon followed with my glare. My eyes quickly widened at the sight of those black barrels and my heart leapt out of my chest for a moment.

'What is going on here?' I thought to myself.

"Hitokiri Kensai, your services are no longer needed in the Ishin Shishi," the soldier continued, "I wish you farewell."

"I see," I began to lower my head, "so you'll do to me what you did to Shishio, is that it?"

"Don't take this personally, but the new world cannot exist with your presence," the soldier said calmly.

"Liar," I tell the man, "if it weren't for me, this new world wouldn't even be possible, so don't give me this shit," I said as the hold on my sword tightened.

"Do you dare try to resist us?!" the soldier asked as the rifles before me clicked once more. "If you make one more move I can assure you your death will be a slow and painful one!"

"Fuck you," were the only words that parted from my lips.

Just as I finished my insult, a loud bang echoed from each of the steel barrels. Smoke blew out from the gaps at the end of the rifles, clouding my vision as shards of metal began piercing through the gray fumes. Without even thinking, I jumped upward into the heavens, raising my sword above my head as I did so. I could see each of my targets at that moment, all of them still firing their guns at the haze created by their weapons. By the time they realized I was no longer behind the smoke, I was already above one of their heads. Steel crashed through bone in an instant, slicing through muscle and organs until it had sliced into the ground. The usual gush of crimson tainted my being anymore, and I had found the grin on my face widening once more.

"What are you waiting for," the lead soldier yelled at the remaining two marksmen, "shoot her!"

Another puff of smoke followed the two bangs, and again, the bullets only struck air. I had spun my body to avoid the blasts, finding myself staring into the yes of one of the marksmen. His rifle was touching my heart, but I didn't feel scared at all. His finger pulled on the trigger, nothing but a click emerged from his rifle. Again I grinned, just before I pulled my sword upward, slicing through his rifle and face. There were two men left, I was surprised to find both of them remaining in place with their weapons ready. Another click came from the remaining marksman's gun, and quickly he dug into his pocket. It was the perfect chance to strike, but the leader had blocked my path with his sword drawn. The fool lunged first before I could make a move, but he quickly tripped over his own attack with the raise of my foot. I heard another click at that instant, the marksman had somehow finished reloading his weapon so quickly. Just as another bullet emerged from the rifle's blast, I pulled my executioners' leader by the collar, pulling him into the blast of the gun. The bullet lodged into his back, along with several more that quickly followed. I began charging forward with the corpse before my body, using it as a shield to protect me from the onslaught of bullets. Once I had reached close enough, I pushed the body at the marksman, sending him and his leader to the floor. His rifle had clattered to the ground a few inches away from his hand, right in front of my foot. I stomped on the device as I pointed my blade at the man's neck. I glared at the man for a few seconds, long enough that he began to scream. I quickly grew weary of his screech, so I plunged my blade into his neck, twisting it every so gently so he could feel every inch it turned. The grimace on his face began to stretch the grin on mine even more, stretching further until a small cackle began to escape my lips.

"Hm hm hm hm," I began to chuckle, "ah ha ha ha ha ha!" a laugh suddenly escaped my lips. "Die, die, everybody die!" I screamed.

I continued laughing as the blade twisted even further, ending the man's life soon after. I couldn't help but continue my cackle minutes later, until a voice began calling for me.

"How can you find this sort of thing amusing?" I stopped the moment I heard the voice.

It had come from behind me, just the feel of the voice's presence began to send chills to my spine. Slowly I began to turn around, and much to my surprise, it was a person I did not want to ever see again.

"It's you...," I dropped my weapon at the sight of the individual.

It was that girl I had killed a year ago when I first became a hitokiri. Her sky blue eyes were blank, her hair was neatly combed as it stuck to her back, and the wound I had inflicted upon her was still there. That river of blood that flowed down her shoulder was still fresh, just the sight of it made my heart feel as if it had been stabbed by a thousand knives.

"Did you find my death amusing?" she spoke again.

"...no," I answered.

"Do you think your own death would be amusing?" she asked.

"No," I answered again.

"Then why do you find their deaths amusing?"

"I...," no answer could escape my lips.

"Get lost little girl!" Kensai suddenly appeared before me once more.

"Kensai, stop!" I ordered her.

"Mina, this girl's getting in the way, don't you see it?" Kensai pointed.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"How does death bring you closer to your brother?" the girl asked.

"I...," no words could escape lips again.

"It just does," Kensai answered for me, "now get lost!"

"Why do you shut out your conscience?" the girl continued. "Why do you shut out those who want to be involved in your life? Is it because you're sad? Is it because you're depressed? Why is it?"

"It's because I...," I began to answer.

"Don't listen to her, Mina!" Kensai yelled.

"It's because I...," I stuttered once more.

"Mina!"

"It's because I just want... just want to... see him once more," I admitted.

"Then why continue to murder those who aren't involved?" the girl asked.

"It's because I...," I began to answer.

"If you wish to be strong," my brother's words began to echo in my head once more.

"It's because I'm..."

"Be strong in your own way, that way you can be stronger than me."

"It's because I'm weak," I admitted. "My source of strength was always my brother, and with him gone, I had no one else to fight for, no one else I could rely on."

"That's a lie, Mina!" Kensai yelled. "Don't you see what this girl is doing to you, she's trying to brainwash you! Stop listening to her!"

"But what about your friends?" the girl continued.

"I could rely on them, but back then, I wanted companionship from someone, anyone, the first person who I could find, and that person was...," I began to answer.

"And so you were brainwashed by this woman," the girl turned to Kensai.

"Brainwashed?!" Kensai spat. "Bull shit! You're the one trying to brainwash my Mina here!"

"How can I brainwash what has already been manipulated?" the girl asked.

"What have I...?" I turned to the blood on my hands.

"Mina, it was all for you, you know that, right?" Kensai turned to me. "You know that this entire I've been doing this for you."

"...that's a lie," I said, still turned to my palms.

"What?" she asked.

"I said that's a lie!" I yelled, closing my hands into fists. "I can see now, I see what you've been up to this entire time now, Kensai!" I jumped to my feet. "You only wanted complete control over my body, that's all you wanted this entire time! You knew about how killing effected my conscience, you knew that if I had killed enough it would destroy me! Your being was slowly being melded into my own. During this entire year, you've been melding your mind with mine, turning me into your pawn. We almost became one just a moment ago, if this girl hadn't stopped us then I would've been destroyed! You planned this all along, didn't you?!"

Kensai simply grinned after my speech. A small chuckle began to escape her lips as her shoulders began jumping up and down. A loud cackle escaped her lips soon after, and just by the sound of her laugh, I knew that what that girl had said was true.

"So what if it was?" she asked. "You were the one who believed every word I said. You know those steps to reunite you with your brother?" his visage suddenly appeared in the sky.

The scenery suddenly melded into black and I found myself standing on the corpse of a Bakufu soldier. More corpses began appearing, one a floating a few inches above another. I stepped onto the corpse above, and then I stepped onto the one after. I kept my eyes on Shinta, his figure staying in place, neither growing nor shrinking. My steps began getting faster, my walk and turned into a run. No matter how fast I ran up those steps, I was not getting any closer. I had finally tired myself out moments later, I was not any closer nor was I any further from my brother than I was when I first started taking this path.

"Do you see it now?" the girl appeared before me once more.

"...hai," I nodded. "Kensai, are you listening?!" I began to yell. "As of this moment, our contract is broken, do you hear me?! I don't want anything more to do with you!"

"Well that's just too bad now isn't it?" she appeared before me once more.

I couldn't help but take a step back when her presence had returned to me once more. She began to step forward as I took another back. Another step followed from the both of us, our steps became more swift than the last. Her hand began to draw toward my face, I couldn't help but turn away and try to run. Just as I began to dash away from my former associate, my feet suddenly stopped as my back arched forward. Kensai had appeared before me once more, her arm wrapped around my waist and her right hand cupping the left side of my face.

"Didn't I tell what would happen if you broke our contract?" her finger began stroking my face.

"Ugh?!" the area around my left eye began burning once more.

"Feel the pain," she took her hand and placed it around her eye, "feel the pain of all those you've killed times many more!" she yelled.

"Argh!" the burning had become even greater from before.

"Nani?!" I suddenly found myself in the field once more.

The bodies of the Mibu Wolves and former allies I had just slain were once again before my eyes. I looked around the entire area after, Kensai and that girl were nowhere to be found. The tingling around my eye began to burn again, I couldn't help but take hold of it with my left palm. Moments later, the searing had died; slowly, I began to remove my palm from my eye. I was shocked to find what was now embedded on my palm. It was a fresh river of blood, formed in the shape of an "X". Liquid began running down the left side of my face at the moment, it's contents dropping to the ground below. My fingers began to crawl toward the source of the crimson streams, stopping before my left eye. There was a small crack around my left eye, two of them actually. Both were fresh with blood, the two wounds were conjoined in the center of my eye lid.

"The cross-shaped tear," I recalled Kensai's words, "it will link you and I. As long as the contract is not broken, you will not have to bear it's pain."

"But you will continue to have to bear with me," Kensai suddenly appeared before me once more.

"Naze?!" I practically cried. "Why can't you just...?!"

"Leave you alone?" she finished my words. "That's quite impossible, my dear Mina. You and I are bound to each, like it or not," she pointed to the very same mark around her eye.

"No...," I began to shake my head.

"Hitokiri Kensai!" another familiar voice suddenly called.

"Well, gotta go," she winked before disappearing once more.

"Tetsu...?" I slowly began to turn toward the voice's source.

"I see you've put up a fight with our men," Tetsu said calmly, "very well, I guess I'll have to be the one responsible for your execution," he said as he drew his blade.

"Tetsu, wait!" I pleaded. "It's just as you told me the night Shishio was killed, the Ishin Shishi were the ones responsible for his death, just now they tried to kill me."

"Odd, Saigo told me you were to be executed for treason," Tetsu told me.

"Treason?!" I said shocked. "Impossible! I haven't done anything to betray our clan, you and Saigo know that, Tetsu! The rumor was true, Saigo and the rest of the Ishin Shishi are making excuses to have me killed. Tetsu, please believe me!"

"Even if what you say is true, I can't let you go," Tetsu told me.

"Naze? Why can't you let me go?" I asked.

"I have a family that relies on this job," Tetsu answered, "and no matter how dirty the deed, I must get it done for their sake. These are tough times, Mina, you and I know that. Whether you like it or not, I have to kill you."

He didn't waste another second after that, he charged forward with his blade leading the way. I kept my blade to the side as I dodged the attack, bringing it up only to catch his weapon with the strike that followed. Tetsu didn't hesitate as he struck again, this time swinging from the ground up. I jumped a few steps back just as the steel curve slit the sleeve of my kimono. Again, I didn't raise my blade, I thought I could still negotiate with him.

"Tetsu, please stop this," tears began falling from my eyes once more, "I don't want to fight you, don't force me to do it!"

"Whether you put up a fight or not makes no difference to me," Tetsu said calmly, "either way your head must be mine!"

He charged once more, his sword coming from the slicing the earth as it rose. Again, I took a step back to evade the attack, only to have his blade's tip slice the corner of my cheek. A small splash of crimson escaped the tiny slit, along with another burn added to my face. I knew at that point that he was serious in killing me, and I had no choice but to defend myself.

"Aren't you even going to put up a fight before you die?!" Tetsu asked as he swung his katana once more.

Not wanting to continue playing on the defense, I had no choice but to swing my blade forward. Our swords locked in an angle, bringing us face-to-face. I remember his eyes, those black pupils no longer had any trace of compassion, they were virtually blank. I knew that this fight must have hurt him just as much as it hurt me. No, that's not the truth, he had every intention to kill me, and I can't blame after how I treated him after being separated from Shinta.

With a push of his sword, I suddenly found my feet tripping over one another. My back met with the blood-soaked floor a second later, a sharp pain shot through my entire being after the impact. Just as I was about to rise to my feet once more, Tetsu's sword began crashing down once more. His arms were raised directly above his head, leaving no defense for his body. I had chance to kill him at that very instant, but instead, I...

"Argh!" he screamed as I brought my blade toward his leg.

I swung my katana a few inches above his ankle, digging into his muscle for a few moments before I pried the weapon away. His sword suddenly slipped from his fingers, the blade sinking into the earth once it had fallen. His arms quickly turned to his leg, holding the fresh wound I had inflicted upon him.

"Gomen, Tetsu," I apologized as I returned to my feet, "but I had to defend myself, that I did."

"Shut up!" he yelled, still grasping his leg. "How dare you show me mercy!"

"I can't kill one who has been dear to me during this entire war," I told him as I began making my way out of the area. "Tetsu, for being so good to me despite the way I treated you, I show you mercy," I turned to him one last time. "Farewell."

Just as I had made a step forward, a click of metal suddenly entered my ear. I turned my head past my shoulder to find Tetsu with his wakezashi in his hands, diving toward me with the tip aimed at my face. Without wasting a second, I took hold of my sword once more, swinging it upward so that it clashed with my friend's weapon. The metal's screeched upon impact, one was going through the other. My blade had touched the air for a mere second until it dove into a sea of Tetsu's own blood, drenching my being once more in the ruby elixir of life.

"...Tetsu...," I barely called his name as his body began kneeling towards the floor. "Tetsu!" I released my blade.

"Mina-san...," he called me once more, "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me..."

"No, you shouldn't be the one to apologize," I took hold of his hand, "I was being so rude to you after being separated from Kenshin. I was so angry at the time that I would get blow up on anyone, please forgive me..."

"Don't worry, Mina-san," a weak smile curled onto his lips, "it's all right. Maybe with you leaving the Ishin Shishi, you can finally find your brother once more."

"My brother, what about you? What about your family?!" I asked him. "It's because of me that..."

"My boys are pretty strong," a small chuckle escaped his lips, "you of all people should know that, Mina-san. I'm sure they'll be strong enough to go on without their father."

"Tetsu, please don't say that!" I took hold of his hand. "Your boys need you, I shouldn't have..."

"Mina-san, it was either you or me," Tetsu said. "This...is how war is. Everyone is fighting for the sake of another; you for your brother, me for my kids, everybody wants the best for their family...., for their friends, and... their country. Unfortunately, not everyone can get the best, and so, only the ones who strive the most can achieve the best. Mina-san, you... strived to be with your brother so much, more than I must have wanted to have my kids live in a safe new era, and I...respect you for that...," his voice began to die.

"Tetsu...?" his eyes began to close. "Tetsu?!" the rivers in my eyes began to flood my cheeks yet again. "This can't be happening!" my voice began to crack.

His body had already gone stiff, his kimono drenched in his own blood. Not another breath had escaped Tetsu's lips, nor his nostrils. He was lay frozen, his arms at his sides, his legs barely parted, and that smile still on his face. Tetsu was dead, one of my only friends during the Revolution was killed, his life taken by my hand. What he told me that day, the rules of war, they were words that would stay with me forever. Only those who strive the most get the most in the battlefield, I could never believe that, I can never believe that. Tetsu wanted a new era for his boys, that's all he ever wanted, and yet, he died for that. A safe new era, how can such a thing exist for those boys with their father gone?

"Tetsu, I didn't strive to be with my brother no more than you wanted a new era for your children," I sniffed. "If what you said is true, then what is she striving for?"

"Mina?" the voice of my best friend suddenly entered my ears.

"Shion?" I turned to the source. "Shion, thank God you're here," I began to approach her, "Tetsu was right, the Ishin Shishi are planning to..."

What she did next was unspeakable. Her fingers suddenly curled onto one half of her naginata, sliding the sword outward, nearly slitting my stomach. I took a step back after, my fingers curled against my heart.

"Shion...?" I looked at her puzzled.

"Himura Mina," she called my name without a sense of feeling in her voice, "as a member of the Ishin Shishi, it is my duty to exterminate you as a traitor."

My entire life had collapsed that very day, just as it did when I was fourteen. Betrayed by my own allies, killing Tetsu, and now, my best friend was going to have me executed. I could feel my soul beginning to whither away from my body, I could feel my heart splitting in two, I felt so much pain, more than I ever have had to in my entire life. My life would come to close no matter what was going to happen next. I would either die from Shion's hands, or die from the fact that I had killed my only friends from the war. Good and evil, light and shadow, friend and foe, no longer could I see a difference in these things at that moment. All I could see was nothing but blood...

Chapter 31 Liner Notes

  
  


(Nothing to explain here, I don't think.)

  
  


(Next time: "I have become too immersed in this world of violence, everyone that I hold dear to me is linked by the sword. The shackles of the blade will not break so easily, I can do nothing but hold it closer as more danger draws near..." -Himura Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: Well, pretty sad huh? It's still not over yet unfortunately, more pain awaits for heroine for the remaining three chapters of this book. Well, reviews are always welcome, and as usual, no flames or anything like that. Anyway, I didn't do a liner note on Emperor Mutsuhiro because there wasn't much info I could find on him, but whatever. I guess that's it for now, three chapters left and I'll begin posting book II, later.


	35. There is no Difference

Author's Note: Well, I was able to update earlier than usual, how about that? In this chapter, we've got a huge battle between two best friends, this is perhaps the most important fight in the entire book. So without any further interruptions, I present to you the latest chapter.

  
  


Chapter 32: There is no Difference

  
  


"So I am accused of treason, am I?" I asked Shion.

"I don't want to believe it, Mina," Shion assured me, "in fact, I don't believe it."

"Then why did you try and attack me just now?" I asked.

"Whatever the reasons are for executing you, I have no idea," she answered, "but I'm afraid orders are orders, Mina."

Without saying another word, my best friend took her sword to her side and charged. Would I allow death to take me at that moment, I already had it consume Tetsu a short while ago. I couldn't die yet, there was still something I had to do.

I tightened the grip around my katana once more, quickly pulling it upward to catch Shion's attack. The ringing of metal filled my ears as the two blades met, locking in an angle so that the eyes of my friend and mine met. The look in her eyes, it was different from the one Tetsu gave me when I fought with him. There was a hint of sadness in them, they looked ready to leak at any moment. Just looking into those cinnamon pupils made the translucent rivers crawl down my face once more. Shutting my eyes, I pushed all of my weight into the sword, causing my friend to stagger back. I hadn't followed up with another strike, I was too caught up in myself to do anything else after.

"Mina, I don't like any of this as much as you do," Shion told me, "please, don't make this any harder."

"Why kill me, Shion?" the tears began to fall my rapidly. "Why are you following the Ishin Shishi's orders? Don't you see it, Shion, Tetsu was right, our forces are killing off their own hitokiries to save their own hides. Once they have you kill me, they'll execute you as well."

"I wish I could believe that," Shion said, "but you're only making excuses to save yourself."

"No, Shion, please don't say that," I begged.

"Mina, I knew you hated Tetsu, but I didn't think you would actually kill him," she turned to the corpse of our friend.

"I didn't have a choice," I tried to explain, "he and the other soldiers..."

"Saigo-sama was right, you are nothing more than a blood-thirsty murderer," my heart once again crumbled with her words.

It was a true, I was a blood-thirsty murderer back then. I killed so many because I thought I could be reunited with my brother faster if I did so. I didn't care who anyone was, if they were with the Shogunate, they had to die, and if anyone had seen my actions, they would be killed as well. My sword's thirst for blood was never easily quenched, my lust for blood would help satisfy it. But after talking with that girl, my lust is suddenly gone, but my sword still thirsty. It had already drank Tetsu's blood, and I was not going to have it take another one of my friend's life.

"Even if you are a murderer," Shion continued, "you're still the woman I love."

"You speak in circles, Shion," I told her. "If you really do feel that way, then why must we fight? Is duty really more important than our feelings?"

"I can't answer that, Mina," Shion answered with the shake of her head. "The only way I'll know is by...," her sword began to raise once more.

Again her blade came crashing down. I took the defense once more, this time I didn't allow her sword to clash with mine. Instead of blocking her attack, I jumped a step or so back, although things didn't go as I had planned. Just as I found my feet on the floor again, Shion's form suddenly disappeared before me. My eyes widened a split second later, widening from the whistling winds suddenly swirling behind me. Shion had made her way behind me, for a moment I forgot that her Akai Chi Naginata Ryu also used the very same God-like speed of my Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu.

"Hyah!" I turned to find one of her blades swinging forward.

"Hah!" I used my weapon to block once more.

Again, our swords were locked in angle, both of seemed to be pushing all of our weight into our swords this time. Neither of seemed like we were going to overpower the other this time around, so in unison, Shion and I jumped away from each other once more.

"Shion, just drop your sword," I tried negotiating once more, "I don't want to waste anymore lives, that I don't, especially yours. Please Shion, I..."

"As I said before, orders are orders," she said with her head hung low.

"Shion, let's just stop right now, don't you see what the Ishin Shishi are doing to us?" I tried convincing her again.

"So are you saying that we should quit and side with the Shogunate?!" Shion spat. "The very same government that was responsible for Keisuke's and my family's death?!"

"I'm not saying that we should side with them," I explained, "I'm saying that we should just stop this fighting and get out of here together."

"Then where will we go?" she asked. "We'll be deserters, living life on the run, we won't have anyone to support us. Both the Shogunate and the Ishin Shishi will constantly be on our tails, they'll continue to hunt us down like dogs until we've both been killed!"

"It's bound to happen anyway," I told her. "Once you execute me, the Ishin Shishi will try and kill you too. You'll still be put in a life on the run, there's no way of avoiding it!"

"You're wrong!" Shion spat. "Once the Shogunate has been totally annihilated I'll be able to live in luxury in this new era as a reward for my loyal services."

"Your only reward will be death," I tried convincing her.

"Maybe it is for you as both Ishin Shishi and the Shogunate will be after you from now on!" her katana flew forward once more.

Pulling my sword to the left, I was able to swat the weapon away. Just as I watched the strike be deflected, the clicking of steel soon echoed my ear. She had just pulled out her wakezashi, swinging it to my right as soon as it was drawn. Again I jumped away to avoid the attack, this time I used the Ryu-Tsui-Sen's jump to get an even larger distance away from my friend. The rumbling of earth soon entered my ears as soon as I landed, it was a similar sound to my Do-Ryu-Sen.

"Akai Chi Ryu, Yama-No-Ten!" I turned to find Shion slicing the ground with her swords now conjoined.

The power of the strikes suddenly began traveling from the ground; rocks and other pieces of the ground levitated for a mere second as the wave flew forward. I dodged once more, jumping to the side to avoid the oncoming debris. It didn't do much good though because Shion was already charging forward with another attack.

"Akai Chi Ryu, San-Sakura!" the longer blade struck first.

Steel began ringing once more with the clash of the weapons. I knew her attack didn't end there, her attack's name had 'san' in it, that would mean that there would be two more strikes. It was just as I predicted, there was a second strike, this one was an uppercut with the shorter blade of her naginata. I took a step and pushed all of my weight into my back to avoid this attack, but the third part of the attack followed immediately after. It was a back flip that had Shion's left foot strike me under the chin, making me stagger to the floor.

'That attack, it's like the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu's Ryu-Shou-Sen just with two additional strikes,' I thought to myself as I regained my balance.

"Akai Chi Ryu, Miyabi-Kishin!" she screamed as her charge became a spin.

'A Ryu-Kan-Sen type of attack!' I concluded with her next move.

I was expecting her attack to strike me from behind, readying my blade to catch her attack if it were to strike me in the back of the neck. Big mistake. Instead of her spinning behind me, she stayed in front, her blade swinging at my mid-section. I had no time to deflect the attack with my katana, so with my left arm I quickly brought the handle of my wakezashi to catch the weapon. It was another big mistake because I had no idea there was another part of the attack. Her foot met with the blunt side of her sword this time, the force pushed me even further than the last strike.

"Mamano-Arashi!" she screamed as she charged once more.

'Mamano-Arashi, that attack she used to kill that man who aided in killing her family,' I recalled. 'Shit, she's coming, there's only one way I think I can deflect this attack.'

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu-Son-Sen!" I screamed.

A blur began to circle my entire body, flashes of light began appearing from all sides. Wherever the light appeared, it would quickly die out a split second later with the swing of my sword. I swung my blade in every direction at least ten times within five a time limit of five seconds, not once did I ever have to use the Ryu-Son-Sen so long and so quickly. Shion's form appeared a small distance away after the attack, she looked rather shocked to not find a single scratch on me.

"Shion, no matter which attack you use on me, I'll block each and every one of them," I told her. "Just stop this right now and we can drop the whole matter."

"And drop our lives while we're at it!" Shion spat. "Is the blood you've lost so much that it's making you delirious?" she reminded me of my bleeding scar.

"If anything it's opened my eyes," I answered.

"I'm afraid I'll have to be the one to make them shut!" she charged once more.

'I have no choice,' I thought to myself, 'I can't keep blocking forever, I have to fight back.'

"Akai Chi Ryu," she suddenly jumped into the air, "Koukuukougeki!"

'The Ryu-Tsui-Sen variation!' I thought to myself. 'If I can move at the right time, I just might be able to...'

There was no time to finish my thoughts, her blade was already upon my head. Before slitting a single hair on my head, I shifted all of my weight to my left shoulder, ramming into the ground as I swung my blade. Time just seemed to have slowed down from that very moment, I swear I could feel every inch my blade's tip traveled as it dug into Shion's skin. I could see every drop that seeped from the crater, filling the newly made crease in her kimono. I could hear every pitch of her cry, just thinking about how harming her made even more tears fall on my face. Just as my shoulder met with the ground, my sword finally freed itself from Shion's flesh.

"Ow...," Shion staggered forward, her naginata breaking her fall.

The cut had started from the center of her chest and made it's way to the top half of her breast. The center of the wound had met with the scar Saito gave her the first time I challenged him. The center of the newly made cross scar was at the center of heart, it occurred to me what I had just done right there.

'The cross-shaped heart,' I thought to myself, 'just like in that book. The scar, the mark, the heart, and the tear, could it be... Why am I thinking this now, it's just a book and a stupid coincidence!'

"Gomen nesai," I apologized as I returned to my feet, "Shion, I didn't mean..."

"No Mina, I'm the one who should apologize," she took her spear into her hands once more, "I'm the one who's going to end your life!"

She was serious, that look in her eye, I saw it when she killed that man a year ago. So much anger in her eyes, the fire within those pupils would incinerate anyone that came even remotely close to it. My best friend was going to kill me, and as much as it pained me at that moment, there was no other way around it, it was either her or me.

"Forgive me," I shut my eyes.

As I opened them again, Shion's arms were already raised above her head, the long blade of her naginata pointed at the sky. My fingers took one last grip of my katana and brought it to the side. My right foot began to step forward, my left followed a second later. My right took the lead once more, and then the left. My feet began racing one another, just as my sword began to lift into the air. My feet were at neck and neck when my blade was at my chin's level, the very same height of Shion's weapon. Metal rang once more as the two blades clashed for a mere second, parting in the next. The two of us now had our backs turned to one another, our weapons pointed forward. Something was wrong when our weapons met, I was sure I felt one go right through another. My knees and arms were still locked as we awaited the outcome of the clash, neither of us moved an inch as we waited for the other to fall.

"Oro?" a drop of liquid suddenly fell upon my arm.

It was a translucent drop, the same hue of my tears. Another soon fell upon me, this one atop my head. Two more followed soon after, and then three. Their numbers began to increase every second we stood there. Was it rain, or were they the heavens' tears?

A small creak suddenly entered my ears as the drops became more rapid. A louder one followed a moment later. I looked to my blade, a small line of black had been smudged in the center of the curve. The crack suddenly began to grow until one half of my sword clattered to the floor. My katana had broken, and yet...

"Impressive," Shion had spoken first.

I turned to her, her back was still turned, she was still standing there in the same pose as when we both struck, but with one difference. She was holding a long sword handle in her hands now, with poorly sanded pieces of metal sticking out of both ends. I had broken both sides of her weapon as well, the two of us were now basically unarmed.

"Shion...?" I called her name, as I wiped the crimson rivers traveling down my cheek.

My scar was still bleeding, but the moisture of the rain seemed to have soothed the pain. I'm sure the rain must've done the same with Shion's new wound, but it must've only boiled when it met with her heart. Her back suddenly shifted to the side, her left arm now facing me. There was still a sneer perched upon her face, it stretched even more when she looked at her broken weapon once more. With a wave of her hand, she discarded the useless spear, meeting with the ground as if it didn't mean a single thing to her. Her fists took the place of her weapon, her left before her right as her legs parted until they were level with her shoulders. Even if she was unarmed, she still wanted to fight. I looked at the remains of my katana; half of the blade was left, I though it would be enough to finish our duel. I brought it to my side once more, just as the space between Shion's feet widened. The rain began to push down on our shoulders, crawling down every inch of our bodies. Regardless of these translucent weights, we hadn't lost our posture. The grip around my sword only tightened more as my shoulders grew heavier, just as Shion's thumb wrapped around her fingers more tightly. Shion suddenly began to move, her left legs stepping forward so that it was level with her right. Her arms did the same, only that both moved to the side of her body, just as her thumb released her fingers. The sneer on her face began to melt suddenly, melting into a frown as her eyes began to water. My fingers began to unfurl from the hold of my sword, it clattered to the floor without a noise. Shion's knees suddenly met with the floor, and her palms to her face. Cries began to escape her mouth, cries that would put any dog to shame. Without a second thought, I ran over to her, placing my arms around her shoulders as I brought her head to my shoulder.

"Gomen nesai," she cried, "gomen nesai, Mina! I didn't know what I was doing, I..."

"No, it's okay, Shion," I assured her, patting her shoulder as her body jerked.

"It's not okay, Mina, I was about to..."

"Shion, let's just drop it okay."

"Get out of here," she suddenly ordered.

"Nani?" I said puzzled.

"I said get out of here," she repeated. "I've killed Hitokiri Kensai, my assignment has been completed, the Ishin Shishi no longer have to worry about the rogue assassin any longer."

"You mean you're letting me go?" I asked.

"Hai," she nodded, "I can't bring myself to kill you, Mina."

"Arigatou," I smiled.

"So you must leave before they find you," Shion ordered once more.

"What about you?" I asked. "I thought we were going to travel together."

"We will, Mina," Shion assured me, "when my work with the Ishin Shishi is completed."

"But they'll only...," I tried to explain once more.

"Mina, I don't know who or what to believe at the moment," Shion said, "so all I can do is live through whatever life throws at me. I will continue to live my life the way I have unless something like what you said happens."

"But Shion..."

"Please Mina, trust me on this one!" she begged.

My best friend still didn't believe me after everything we've gone through. It hurt me to see her like this, but I knew that she wouldn't have gone with me at that moment. She was my best friend, so I had to trust her, even though she could not trust me.

"...all right," I responded after a moment of thinking, "I will."

"Arigatou, Mina," she smiled. "You better get going then before reinforcements arrive."

"Yeah," I nodded.

"That forest should lead you into the country, it should provide you with many places to hide," Shion pointed to the lot of trees to the east.

"I'll do that," I began to take my leave.

"Wait!" a tug suddenly fell upon my sleeve.

"Yes, Shion?" I turned to her once more.

"If what you say is true, where shall I meet you?" she asked.

"Nagoya," I answered, "we'll meet in Nagoya on September twenty-third, I'll stay there to the twenty-fourth if necessary."

"You mean on Shubun-No-Hi?"

"Yeah," I answered. "It'll attract a lot of tourists so in case anyone tries to follow us, it'll be hard to rack us down with all the people. To screw them up even more, we'll meet in front of Nagoya Castle within the hours of noon to six in the afternoon."

"That's perfect!" Shion exclaimed.

"I better get going then," I began to leave once more.

"Wait!" Shion stopped me once more.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You'll need something to keep you occupied while you're waiting for me," Shion began digging into the left side of her kimono. "Here," she pulled out a book.

"This is 'Crimson String and the Four Destinies'," I read the title.

"I thought I could leave it with you once this job was done," Shion said, "you really liked reading that book so I thought it could be a going away present."

"Arigatou," I stuffed it into my kimono.

"And I have another gift for you," her eyes began to face the ground again, her toes circling the same area over and over again, "I know you're not into this kind of stuff, but..."

I knew what she was talking about. I knew how much it meant to her, so for a while I decided to push back my thoughts on the matter. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pushing my toes against the ground to put me to her height, and then brought her lips toward mine. It was a moment later that I felt her arms reaching toward my back over my shoulders, her body soon pressing against mine. Her lips were so smooth, her skin felt so silky, so sweet, so... why am I getting all descriptive about her all of a sudden? When we finally parted lips, a smile was once again stretched across Shion's face.

"Was that what you wanted?" I asked.

"Arigatou, Mina!" she squeezed my body close to mine once more.

"Don't read anything into it," I told her, "I know it meant so much to you that I..."

"I know, Mina," Shion began to release me, "and I thank you for that."

"I guess this is goodbye until then," I began to push her away.

"Yeah," her head returned to her feet.

"Thank you for everything," I began walking toward the forest, "goodbye, Shion."

"Goodbye, Mina," she waved.

With one last smile stretching across my face, I turned to her for a second more. As I turned back to the woods, the smile slowly melted as I began treading into the forest. The winds began to pick up from there, the rain began flooding down, and the sky began to crash. In the midst of it all, there was yet another sound that brought a smile to my face for another second.

"I love you," was what I heard in barely a whisper.

"Shion...," I closed my eyes thinking of her already.

After reminiscing about my best friend for a mere second, I returned to reality and the path that lay before me. I turned back once more, nothing but darkness had awaited me there. I looked forward once again, there was still no light. There was no going back now, the only thing I could do was go forward...

  
  
  
  


Chapter 32 Liner Notes

  
  


A bit on Shion's attacks- As I mentioned in a previous chapter, Shion uses the Akai Chi Naginata Ryu (which can be translated as the "Red Earth Style") which is basically the spear version of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Shion's "Miyabi-Kishin" (the Ryu-Kan-Sen variation that strikes into he abdomen instead of the back) can be translated as "Graceful Demon God." The "San-Sakura" (the Ryu-Shou-Sen variation with two additional strikes) is translated as "Three Sakura (or "Flowers" in place of Sakura). The "Mamano-Arashi" (the Ryu-Son-Sen" variation) is translated as "Devil Tempest." "Yama-No-Ten" (the Do-Ryu-Sen variation) is translated as "Mountain of Heaven." Finally, Shion's "Koukuukougeki" is translated as "Air Strike." There are two more techniques that Shion has not used during her fight with Mina, these two attacks are variations of the Kuza-Ryu-Sen and the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu's ultimate attack, the Amakekeru-Ryu-No-Hirameki. These two attacks will be seen in books II, III, and the side story.

  
  


What does "Gomen nesai" mean?- We already know that "gomen" means "sorry", so "gomen nesai" means "I'm very sorry."

  
  


What is "Nagoya?"- Nagoya is a large commercial city to the east of Kyoto. It has a port and in present day Japan, several railway stations. Many tourists go to Nagoya to pick up souvenirs and the such, it's a very busy city. I think it was also an alternate capital for Japan during the Tokugawa Shogunate's rule, I'm not sure, I still have to do some research on that.

  
  


What is "Shubun-No-Hi?"- "Shubun-No-Hi" is translated as "The First Day of Autumn." It's basically a day when many people go out into the city to celebrate the first day of Autumn by watching fireworks and having a night on the town.

  
  


(Next time: "It's all come back to haunt me. My past, it's something I'm not very proud of, and now it begins to consume me. There is no one who can help me, no matter how much I call. Tetsu, Shion, Shinta, someone, anyone, please save me from her...!" -Himura Mina)

  
  


Author's Note: Pretty sad huh? Well, as usual, I don't accept flames or anything like that for reviews. This was probably the hardest chapter for me to write, the two have come a very long way in the story so it was difficult to find a proper ending to the battle. Well, I'm afraid we won't be seeing Shion in the story for a while, not until at least chapter five of book II and the 'Crimson String' side story, 'When Angels Lost Their Wings', which is of course co-written with Crystal from ff.net. Anyway, there will be no action in the next chapter, just a lot of angst for our poor heroine. Two chapters left and the epilogue and then this book is over. I guess I'll see you guys on the next update then. Later!


	36. The Past is the Present

Author's Note: Well, this is the second-to-last chapter of 'Crimson String Book I: Siblings of the Sword.' No action in this chapter unfortunately, just a lot of angst. This chapter was really hard for me to write, and I hope you all enjoy it. Oh, and one other thing, I forgot to type down part of Mina's real and full name during the prologue and first chapter. So you won't be confused or anything, Mina's real and full name is Tachibana Minako, Mina is just her nickname that everyone calls her.  
  


Chapter 33: The Past is the Present  
  


It had only been five minutes since I had first entered the forest, the rain was pouring even heavier than it did a while ago. The water was bending the branches around me, the winds would cause some to snap, and the crashes of thunder would sometimes illuminate the area for a brief second. The rain, along with some of the trees dead leaves, began to pile upon my shoulders, making my feet sink into the muddy dirt below. I felt as if I was carrying several weights on me, and that something was pulling my being into the earth.

"Nani?!" I jumped with next crash of thunder.

The light that had brightened the area for a brief second had showed me my surroundings, or what I thought were my surroundings anyway. To the sides of me were bodies of countless men and women, some with missing arms, legs, or other limbs. A river of blood was flowing from numerous spots on their corpses, it was not a pretty sight. Another flash of lightning soon followed, this time the bodies were gone.

"It's just my imagination," I assured myself.

The winds suddenly began to die down only to be replaced with something more hideous. The moans of people filled my ears after my voice had passed. They were echoing from all around. The sound of their voices locked my knees in place; I was very frightened. My hand began to reach for the wakezashi on my belt, it wasn't as long or strong as my katana, but it would have to do. Just as I drew my blade, I suddenly felt something creep on my shoulder, they felt like long and slender fingers slowly pulling at my kimono. I jerked back immediately and quickly turned to swipe at the source. I had slit nothing but a tree branch whose leaves had already fallen.

"Damn, I'm so delirious," I said to myself as I returned my short blade into its sheath.

"Mina," the winds began to pick up once more, calling my name.

Again I jerked, paralyzed with fear once more. The winds could never talk on their own, so of course this would scare the living hell out of anyone.

"Mina, you're just freaking yourself out, okay!" I yelled at myself and began treading down the forest once more.

"Mina," the voice of the wind rose.

"You're making this crap up, Mina," I closed my ears, talking to myself once more, "the wind's not talking to you!"

"Mina."

"It's all just an illusion..."

"Mina."

"It's all just a mind game..."

"Mina!" the wind's voice boomed as another presence began stroking my shoulder.

This time I did not simply freeze in place. A loud cry escaped my throat instead, my eyes beginning to burn with tears once more. Shutting my eyes and covering my ears, I began to run. No matter how shut my eyes and ears were, I could still hear those voices, I could still see those visages of dead men and women, I could still feel death creeping upon my shoulder.

My ankle met with a tree branch after an unaccounted amount of time later. I found my face and entire body soaked with the grass below. I knew at the point that there was something strange; the forest didn't have any grass. I pushed myself off the ground once more and found a large field before my eyes, or, what was supposed to be a large field. There was grass before my feet for only a few inches, everything else was just mounds of mud. I had reached the country by running out of the forest. The area was fairly open, you could probably see a person a mile or two away; this wouldn't be the best place to hide. I began to turn back to the forest, but a small structure caught my eye. It was in the middle of the would-be field, small and somewhat dated. It was a house, a typical farmer's one at that, and just by looking at the outside, it didn't look like it had be occupied for at least a year. I began making my way toward the house, it would make a better shelter than the forest.

I had reached the house's porch soon after. I could get a better view of the home; I could see into the inside from cracks in the walls. The walls were made of poorly cut oak, the hay used to make the roof was barely hanging on, most of it had already fell off; the house was deserted just as I had observed from afar. I began to pull the door to the side, it barely moved an inch. I pulled again, this time I jerked my body along with the pull. The door nearly flew out of it's place, but it began moving smoothly after I shut it again when I found myself inside. The inside of the house was in the same condition as the outside. Water seemed to have damaged walls and drapery, the little furniture that rested within was covered in dust and cobwebs. There was a rather foul stench within the air, it was the smell of wet wood. As I began to step further into the house, voices began echoing in my ears once more.

"Can you set the table?" the voice of woman called.

"Hai," another answered.

"What the hell?!" I took hold of my head.

"Do you see what happens when you play out in the rain?" the first voice echoed again.

"Gomen, mother," the other voice apologized.

"Mother...?" I released my temple and turned toward the small table in front of me.

Sitting before that table were now three individuals. There was a rather strong-looking man, about in his late twenties or mid-thirties, his hair was a fiery red color and his eyes a rustic brown. To the side of him was a woman, raven black hair and lavender eyes, she looked a few years younger than the man sitting next to her. Across from the couple was a girl, she looked about ten or eleven, she had fiery red hair and a shade of violet in her eyes. The image of the girl caught my attention, she looked so happy, despite the condition of the house, despite the rags she wore for clothes.

"Mina, can you water the crops when you're finished?" the woman asked the younger girl.

"Hai!" the girl smiled.

"This is house is...," the surroundings suddenly began to feel familiar.

"Tachibana Minako, just where were you?!" I turned to the doorway behind me to find the woman scolding the young girl.

"Don't be mad at our daughter," the man suddenly appeared next to the girl, "I brought her with me into town."

"Oh, gomen, Mina," the woman patted the girl's hair.

"I'm home...," I turned back to the table a few feet away from the doorway. "I'm home, that I am."

"Welcome home, Tachibana Minako," my mother's voice echoed in my head.

"It's good to see that you have returned, Minako," Father and Mother's forms suddenly appeared before my eyes.

Tachibana Minako, I hadn't been called my real name for the longest time. It sounded like heaven in my ears just for someone to call me by that name once more.

"I'm back, Mother, Father," I smiled.

The winds began to blow once again, and suddenly the image of my parents began to fade away.

"Mother, Father, don't leave me!" I called.

I began running toward them, but something suddenly took hold of my arm. I quickly turned to the source to find her once more, that sinister simper stretched across her face.

"Kensai, let me go!" I ordered. "Kensai!"

"Silence!" I suddenly found my back striking against the furthest wall.

"Mom, Dad!" I cried as I tried to reach them once more.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Kensai appeared before me once more.

"Get out of my way!" I reached for my wakezashi.

Immediately I withdrew the blade from it's wooden restraint, sliding outward in the direction of her throat. It instantly sliced through her neck, yet her head remained in place and not a drop of blood escaped her cut. I swung again, I had sliced only the hair with my second attack yet again. I went for a third swing, and then a fourth, still nothing. The smile on her face widened with every swing of my sword, cackling would escape the growing crease on her lips as my wakezashi struck the air before us.

"Shut up!" I yelled to shield her taunting laugh. "Just shut the fuck up!"

Again I swung with all my might, yet again slicing the air. Each blow I delivered carried all of my strength, and with each blow the force behind the attack would slowly dwindle. Eventually the strength in my arms suddenly died, the hold on my sword broken by my own fingers. My knees fell to the floor after, my arms dangling by my side and tears trailing down my cheeks, side-by-side with the river of blood flowing down my left eye.

"Do you really think you can be happy?" Kensai taunted as I lay there. "What makes you think you deserve such a thing when you have brought so much sorrow to others?"

"Just what makes you think that?" the form of a Mibu Wolf suddenly appeared beside my doppelganger.

"What makes you think that?" a Bakufu soldier took to the side of his ally.

"What makes you think that?" more soldiers began to appear, as well as men and women not in arms.

More bodies began to appear, first one at a time, then two, and suddenly three. Their numbers continued to multiply, from four, to seven, from seven, to twelve; they continued appearing until their forms covered the entire house, all of them asking the very same question, over and over again.

"What makes you think that?" they all began to ask in unison.

"I don't know...," I began to close my ears, huddling against the nearest corner.

"What makes you think that?"

"I don't know..."

"What makes you think that?"

"I don't know..."

"What makes you think that?"

"For God's sake, I don't know!" I screamed.

My arms had regained their strength at that moment, but I did not take up my sword once again. I had them take hold of my legs, bringing them toward my chest and burying my face on my knees.

"What makes you think that?" they continued asking.

"I don't know...," I cried. "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know."

"You never wanted to bring them sadness, did you, Mina?" Kensai asked, her voice standing above the rest.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone," I admitted, "I only..."

"You only wanted to be with him," Kensai finished. "And you can be with him, and you can bring these people happiness," she knelt next to my wakezashi.

"What are you doing?" I sobbed as she took the short sword into her hand.

"There is one simple solution to all of this, take it!" the sword clattered before my feet.

"No...," I shook my head.

"Your brother is dead, you know that!" Kensai yelled. "They killed Shishio, then they tried you, and now possibly Shion, why wouldn't they have killed your brother? You can bring happiness to those you've killed by ending your own life and be reunited with him if you do so."

"No..."

"Why not?!" Kensai spat. "You wish to see him, don't you? And you wish to bring happiness to those you've killed. I know you, Mina, take the sword and end it all."

"No!" I yelled, slamming my palms against the floor.

The chanting stopped at that very moment. My arms pushed against the floor suddenly, raising me to my feet. My tears had dried, my eyes narrowed, and my fingers wrapped into a fist. I glared straight into the pupils of Kensai, glaring at her and the ones behind her. The on-lookers all took a step back, their hands raised upward, their palms pointed forward. They were scared, all of them, except the one standing before me. That smirk was still stretched across her lips, never flinching as the my thumb's hold on my fingers tightened.

"Who are you to say that you know me, huh?!" I yelled. "You don't know anything, Kensai, you know nothing about me, that you don't! All you know about is pain, suffering, and death! You live to see others' pain, to watch their suffering, and above all else, to see their deaths! You used me as your pawn in all of your actions, if anything these people are here to torment you, not me, that they are!"

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

For the first time, I had seen fear on her face, that smirk had finally began to melt. The souls began to step forward, reaching out to the evil before them. Her eyes began shifting from right to left, her arms straightening to the sides as her palms pointed to the walls.

"You're afraid of them, aren't you?" I asked calmly.

"Afraid? I have nothing to be afraid of," she almost stuttered.

"Then why do you back away?"

"Shut up, I'm not backing away!" she spat.

The individuals began to lunge forward, all of them falling to Kensai's feet, some were even able to latch onto her legs. For the first time, she screamed, fear had been a stranger to her until now. Quickly she reached for the fallen wakezashi, taking it into her hands and began slicing at the opposition. It was the same result as when I had struck her, nothing but air.

"Get back!" she screamed. "I had you all killed once, and I can do it again!"

"You sound so unconfident when you say that, Kensai, that you do," I crossed my arms.

"No, let go!" more of the souls had taken hold of her.

She was being pulled forward, sinking into the crowd as more hands took hold of her. Fingers took hold of her hair, her hands, her face, anything they could latch onto. Screams continued crying from her mouth, each one louder than the last. Slowly, her figure began disappearing from the depths of the crowd, her arms reaching out to me as far as it could.

"Mina, please, help me!" she begged for the very first time.

I simply stood there, watching as she grew deeper into the crowd.

"Himura Mina, please!" she cried once more.

Again I watched and nothing more. Her cries grew louder and louder, tears had begun to fall upon her face. The demons that she had created were beginning to take their toll on her. I began to turn away from my ex-associate, only to turn back once more with the sound of her voice.

"Ah ha ha ha ha!" she began to cackle once more. "This isn't over, Himura Mina!" she yelled. "You haven't seen the last of me, you can never get rid of me, you need me! You need me! Ah ha ha ha ha ha! You need me!"

And with that last laugh, she had disappeared into nothingness along with the souls that had contained her. The winds had died, and the storm had grown calm; the house silent yet again. It was empty, I was alone, all alone...

"Mother, Father...," I returned to my spot on the floor.

"Mina," Mother's voice suddenly called.

"Go and get some rest, Tachibana Minako," Father's voice followed.

"I will," I nodded as a smile crept upon my face.

I pushed myself off the floor once more, taking my wakezashi back into my belt. I began walking toward my room where I have not slept in for so long. Before I could enter, I turned back to the living room once more, my smile melting a second later.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" I could still hear her laugh.

"Kensai...," I muttered her name.

She was right, that wasn't the last time I had seen her, but that didn't matter at the moment, I just needed to rest...

  
  


Chapter 33 Liner notes  
  


Is this the last we'll ever see of Kensai?- Of course not, I'm afraid Kensai will return in book II, I still have a lot more in store for her. Mina just wouldn't be Mina without her evil doppelganger.  
  


(Next time: "So many lives have been taken, taken by my hand and sword. I have lost so much these past three years, and I have gained so little. Yet there is still hope for those that have fallen, there is still hope for me. There is, there really is..." -Himura Mina)  
  


Author's Note: Well, that was probably the shortest and hardest chapter to write in this entire story, I hope I did well. As usual, no flames or anything like that if you're going to drop me a review. Well, it'll all be over on the next update unfortunately, 'Crimson String Book I: Siblings of the Sword' ends with the next update. Mina's adventures will continue luckily in 'Crimson String Book II: A Rurouni's Path,' which will be her adventures as she searches for Kenshin. But what about Shion, what happened to her? Was she able to get away from the Ishin Shishi or does she still serve them? Well, you'll have to read book II to find out, and 'When Angels Lost Their Wings' (co-written by Crystal of ff.net) to read some of Shion's adventures. Well, next time we'll have closure to this book, so until then, later!


	37. The Morning After

Author's Note: Well, here it is, the final chapter for "Crimson String Book I: A Rurouni's Path." I hope you readers enjoyed it, it was pretty hard for me to write. Well, I won't waste anymore of your time, so let's get to the story.  
  


Chapter 34: The Morning After  
  


The sound of chirping was the first thing I heard as the darkness began to disappear from my eyes. The singing of birds, it felt like an eternity since I last heard their lullaby when I first awakened. Light began creasing through the darkness seconds later, and my muscles began moving once more. I told them to relax, but they wanted to rise. It had been a long time since I just wanted to lay in bed; the comfort of my futon back home, I never knew it could be so comfortable. Finally, I decided to rise, pushing the cotton blanket to my knees as the darkness slipped away from my eyes. It had been so long since I had felt that refreshed, so relaxed. My arms rose above my head, creaking as I stretched them. I rubbed my eyes soon after, removing the remaining seal that tried to keep them shut. I turned to the side of my mattress after, there lay the ribbon Shinta had given me and the short sword that matched my deserted katana. With a sigh, I took the sword onto my belt, taking my ribbon soon after as I walked toward the mirror on my wall.

"I look like hell," I told myself.

My hands took hold of both ends of the silk material, placing the middle underneath my hair, tying it so that it made a high ponytail. My attention then shifted toward my face, toward the mark before my left eye. It was a brownish-red mark in the shape of an "x," similar to the one on my brother's cheek. The blood that had flowed from the other night was now dry. Did I heal up, no, the blood only stopped flowing.

A grumble suddenly escaped my stomach, I hadn't eaten since noon yesterday. I made my way toward the kitchen and living room area, it was just how I left when I left home three years ago, only now there was no one at the table, no one at the stove, and no one working in the fields. I sighed again, walking toward the cupboards, opening each door looking for something to satisfy my hunger. Not a trace of food, Mother and I must've packed everything when we left for Kyoto. If I wanted to eat, there was only one place to go, the city.

I searched the rest of the house soon after, taking whatever supplies I could find, which wasn't very much. I found a few old kimonos, but I had already outgrown each of them. Still, I took them, cutting the material and sewing them together after to make a bag and using any remaining scraps of cloth as rags. I found a few cups I could use for a drinking, a thermos made of horse hide, and a few cut bamboo reeds that could serve as extra thermoses once I put a cork in the hole on one end. Taking those few supplies and my nearly empty bag, I began making my way into the city once more. I couldn't help but look back once more as I left, I swear I could see my parents smiling as I walked.

"Goodbye," I said, "I'll come back some day, I promise."

The city was crowded that very morning, it was full of life. Perhaps it was because the people no longer had to worry about the Shinsengumi interrogating them, or maybe it was because the people were no longer afraid of a fight starting in the middle of the street.

"Damn the Ishin Shishi!" I heard one of the spectators yell.

"We've lost everything!" I heard another.

Chills began to crawl down my spine as I heard the people's cries. All of them were cursing the new government, the regime I helped bring to power. I cringed at the thought of the Meiji Government, my hold on my bag tightening as I pushed away the image.

"Have I done the right thing?" I asked myself.

The Ishin Shishi had promised a new government for the people; cutting taxes, a less corrupt system, each of these were one of the few broken promises of the Meiji. I could tell just by walking down that street that the new government had not kept their word. Still, this new era was better than when the Tokugawa Shogunate was in control, right? Did I really help the people of Japan, or did I hinder them even more? I asked myself the entire time I walked down the street that day, stopping when the voice of a great man soon entered my ears.

"We meet again, Himura Mina-san," I stopped with the call of my name.

My eyes left the sight of the dirt road, turning upward to see who had spoken. It was a man I had spoken to before, he seemed like a nice person. His arms and legs were chiseled like rock, his face rather sharp and somewhat blocky. The smell of iron and soot was abundant on him, it was the great blacksmith Arai Shakku.

"Shakku-dono, we meet again," I bowed.

"I heard what happened," Shakku spoke, "what the Ishin Shishi did..."

"So do you plan on turning me in?" I began to reach for my short sword.

"No," he shook his head, "it would be wrong to turn you in after all you've done for this nation."

"Then what would you like with me?" I asked, returning my arm to my side.

"Please come with me," Shakku offered, "you look rather hungry."

He began to turn, yet I had stayed in place, fearing he might be lying. Shakku simply smiled and offered his hand to me, I couldn't help but take a step back after receiving the gesture.

"Please, Mina-san, I have no intention of harming you," he assured me.

The look in his eye and the tone of his voice, I knew he was telling the truth now. I simply shrugged and began following the man. We arrived at his house soon after, he led me into the kitchen and living room area. There was another young man at the table when we arrived, he looked about my age. He was rather tall and slender, his hair cut in the shape of a bowl and his nose rather sharp.

"Welcome home, Father," the young man greeted Shakku.

"Arigatou, Seikuu," Shakku bowed to the young man. "Seikuu, this young woman is a friend of mine, Himura Mina-san," Shakku introduced me after, "she'll be joining us for breakfast."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Himura-san," Seikuu bowed.

"I can say the same," I bowed.

"Please, take a seat," Shakku pushed me a chair.

Breakfast was a simple meal, it was a few pieces of chicken along with a bowl of rice. The meat was charred along the edges, but I didn't complain, it was a free meal after all.

"How is it?" Seikuu asked after bit into the burnt meat.

"Good," I lied.

"I spoke with your brother the other day," Shakku suddenly brought up.

Just the mention of Shinta lodged the piece of meat in my throat. Immediately I took a glass of water to free it from my throat. It was quite a shock to hear that Shakku had run into my brother.

"Nani, when?" I asked practically demanding for an answer.

"It was about two or three days ago," Shakku explained, "he was heading out of town when I ran into him."

"What did he say?!" I asked taking hold of his sleeve. "Did he mention where he was going?!"

"Settle down, Mina-san," Shakku ordered. "When I spoke with him, he said he was going to find a way to help the people of this new era without the use of his sword, but he didn't say where he was going exactly."

'So, he's pursuing our dream without me, huh?' I asked myself.

"Did he say anything else?" I asked.

"He said something about atoning for his actions during the war," Shakku continued, "and that he would do so without a sword. But then I told him that he could not do so without one, and so, I gave him a little going-away present."

"You gave my brother a sword?!" I yelled. "How could you, killing tortured him enough during this whole conflict and you have him wash the blood away from his hands with even more blood?! That's preposterous, Shakku!"

"Please, let me explain," Shakku held his hands in defense. "Seikuu, could you please give her your latest work?"

"Hai," Seikuu left the table soon after.

"You expect me to take the same path as my brother, don't you?!" I took hold of Shakku's collar. "Do you realize what nightmares I've had because of those damn tools you made?!"

"Mina-san, please let me explain!"

"Mina-san," Seikuu returned to the doorway with a gift in hand.

I took one good look at the device; it was a sword. It rested snugly in a dark violet scabbard, a blackish-grayish material wrapped around the hilt while a yellowish-brown material wrapped around the top part of the sheath. Just the sight of a sword brought disgust onto my face, I was tired of killing, I was tired of bringing ain onto others, I didn't want anything to do with swords any longer.

"How dare you present me such a device!" I snatched the blade away from the young man.

"Mina-san, please...," Seikuu tried to explain.

"I won't take it!" I yelled as I threw the katana to the floor.

It clattered to the floor suddenly, the blade had barely escaped the sheath upon impact. The anger in my body began to cool once my eye had caught a glimpse of the sword. The look on my face had become curiosity as I kneeled closer toward the blade. My hands slowly wrapped around the sword's hilt and sheath, prying the shimmering steel out of it's oak restraint.

"What is this?" I asked as my eyes focused on the shimmering edge of the outer curve. "The blade is on the wrong edge," I observed.

"That's a sakabatou," Shakku responded.

"Sakabatou?" I asked, puzzled.

I had heard of such weapons before; katanas with their blades on the outer curve instead of the inner. They were said to be weapons that could never spill blood unless their blades were flipped, I had never seen one until that point in my life. A sakabatou, during the Revolution I never did see any use for such non-violent weapons, but at that point, I began to see something.

"I gave your brother a similar sword when he left," Shakku explained.

"You gave my brother...a sakabatou?" I slid the reverse-blade back into it's case.

"He could atone for his sins with such a weapon and not spill any blood if he were to use violence to defend the people," Shakku explained.

"Atone for his sins," I repeated, glancing at the sakabatou once more.

"Mina-san, I believe you could do the same," Shakku continued.

"Nani?"

"You are just like your brother, it's only natural that you should follow the same path as him," Shakku said.

'Am I like him?' I asked myself. 'No, I only wanted to be with him, and yet, I still feel bad for all those who I've killed in the process. There's no way I'm like him, that there isn't.'

"Mina-san, I want you to take that sword," Shakku interrupted, "take it and follow the path of your brother."

"But I don't have enough money to pay for this device," I explained.

"Please, consider it a parting gift from Kyoto," Seikuu offered.

"A parting gift...," I slid the sword back into it's case yet again.

Shinta had been given a sakabatou, a sword that could save the people without destroying the people. This was his chance for redemption, his way to atone for his sins. Now I was given the same opportunity, a chance to follow his path.

"Arigatou, Shakku-dono, Seikuu-dono," I nodded, "I accept this sakabatou, that I do."

This was the first time I slid the sakabatou onto my belt, I remember how snug it felt as it slid down every inch of the fabric until it stopped before the guard. It felt different from having a regular sword on my belt; different, I'm not exactly sure how to explain, maybe because now I knew that I would never have to bring rain to the Sanzu any longer.

With the reverse-blade sword now in place, I began to take my leave.

"Where are you going, Mina-san?" I stopped at the sound of the blacksmith's voice.

"...I don't know," I answered.

"What will you do now?" he asked.

"...I don't know," I answered.

"So then why are you leaving?"

"...I don't know. All I know is that I want to see him again," I answered.

"See who?"

"The man I love," I answered.

"I don't know what's going on, but go, don't waste anymore time," he ordered.

"Hai," I nodded.

Not another second came to waste after that, I soon found my feet guiding me into the direction where I thought Shinta went. I remember how the wind pushed against my face, every crater I made with the push of my feet, and the passing of the clouds. How I wanted to see him, and I wouldn't let anything stop me.

"No, get away!" I heard a scream.

Well, almost anything wouldn't stop me. The scream had caught my attention, I couldn't ignore it. Immediately I changed my direction to the source of the cry, it came from a small alley. Just as I entered the poorly lit corridor, I found three individuals surrounding a single girl. All of them had some form of metal in their hands; one held a hatchet, another a knife, and the third a sword. I could barely catch a glimpse of the woman, all I see was her knees from the spaces between the men's legs, they were huddled against a corner. I could hear small sobs aside from the snickers from her attackers' mouths, she needed help, I had to do something.

"Let the girl go!" I ordered.

"Who's there?" the men turned around. "Who the hell are you?"

I could see the girl clearly now, her face a pale white shade, the color drained from fear. Her hair was rather shaggy, possibly from trying to escape from her attackers. It was down to her back, a torn material had kept part of her hair in place. Her eyes were of a sky blue shade, pupils dilated, they reminded me of someone I had killed a year ago, someone that helped me unmask Kensai's scheme.

"I'm only a rurouni, that I am," I answered for the very first time.

"Rurouni?" the one with the knife laughed as he began approaching me. "That another word for whore?" his fingers wrapped beneath my chin. "Not bad I must say."

"I'd remove that hand if I were you," I said calmly, "unless you like the taste of dirt."

"Why don't you watch your mouth you stupid bi..."

At that very instant, my left hand quickly took hold of my sword's hilt, pushing it outward until it met with the man's stomach. A few drops of saliva escaped his lips as he lurched forward, his eyes as wide as mochi when he hit the floor.

"I advise you to watch your language, that I do," I told the man as I slid my weapon back into it's sheath.

"You stupid...!" the other two men drew their weapons.

"I don't want anyone else to get hurt," I told the two calmly, "so just step aside and let the girl go, but if you want to taste the ground like your friend here, then feel free to attack."

"Just who do you think you are you..."

"Be quiet," I shoved my foot into the fallen man's abdomen.

"Now you're going to get it!" the man with the sword yelled.

The two remaining men were now charging forward, their weapons above their heads. With a sigh, I released the hold on my bag, replacing it by parting it an inch before the hilt of my new sakabatou.

"Well, here we go," I shut my eyes, preparing for my very first battle as a rurouni.

The sound of feet crushing pebbles entered my ears a second later, this was my cue to strike. My eyes quickly revealed my opponents, the man with the hatchet was just inches away, the man with the sword close behind. The axe came down quickly, creating a rather large crater in the ground as it met with the ground. I had evaded the attack, pressing my back against the west wall at the last moment. My feet then pressed against the surface, pushing the ground beneath my feet and my face into the clouds. The men were nothing more than mere specks for the seconds I had remained in the air, returning to their normal size when I landed behind them.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Sou-Ryu-Sen!" I screamed.

The reverse-blade quickly slid out of it's oak restraint, striking the man with the sword as fast as lightning. A loud thud echoed upon impact, my opponent's back bending backward as a result. My sheath met with the side of his skull after, striking him against the wall to the right. A translucent goo escaped his lips as his mouth met with the dirt, his eyes free of pupils, it was clear that he was unconscious but not dead.

"You bi...!" the remaining attacker readied his hatchet once more.

"Didn't I tell you to watch your language?!" I yelled before he could swear.

With a swerve of my right arm, my sakabatou's blunt edge swung inward. The steel curve met with the man's abdomen, filling the area with a crunch sound upon impact. His body bent inward as his legs suddenly began to grow limp, his arms beginning to dangle as his hatchet fell to the ground, a few inches away from his hands. Another crunch filled the area a moment later, this one resulting from the impact his nose made with the ground.

"My God," the man with the knife returned to his feet, "you didn't kill anyone, they're all just knocked out."

"Report your actions to the authorities and I won't have to deal you the same fate as your friends, is that clear?" I ordered the man with a glare in my eyes.

Immediately the man dropped his knife and began running. I sighed once more and brought my reverse-blade sword toward my face. Not a drop of blood lay on it's shimmering surface, this truly was a weapon for atonement. With another whip of the blade, I slid the sakabatou back into it's scabbard until the blade clicked in place.

"Are you all right, ma'am?" I turned back to the girl I saved.

"Thank you for helping me," the girl bowed.

"Don't mention it," I smiled as I took my bag off the ground. "Well, I suppose I should get going now," I began making my way out of the alley.

"Wait a minute," the girl's voice suddenly brought me to a halt. "Who are you?"

"I'm a rurouni, that I am," I turned to face her once more, "my name is Mina, and you are?"

"Yuki," the woman introduced herself, "Misaki Yuki. Mina-san, if it's all right, I'd like to formally thank you for helping me, my family owns a small store in town and I'd like to reward you with something."

"You flatter me, but I needn't any thanks, that I don't," I smiled.

"Please," she begged, "it's the least I can do for you saving me."

"All right," I nodded, "I'll take up on your offer, that I will, Yuki-dono."

Yuki brought me to a small general store at the edge of the city. I've never been to the store before, not that I really needed to. There were all sorts of nifty items for sale, well not really nifty, but essential for traveling. Dried fish, jerky, bread, umbrellas, tools, and some clothes were what was mainly sold at the shop, there wasn't much for Yuki to offer, not that I wanted an award or anything like that.

"Please, take some supplies," Yuki offered, "no charge."

"Are you sure?" I asked her. "I mean, won't it hurt your business a little?"

"No, please feel free and help yourself," she insisted.

I began treading down the aisles of the store, beginning with the rations. I took a few pieces of dried fish and jerky, along with half a loaf of bread. I went to the next aisle and grabbed a few tools; one hammer, a few nails, some stakes, and a few feet of rope. The last aisle was just a bunch of clothes, none of them seemed to fit my taste at first. I decided to take a look anyway, and it's a good thing did. There was design that caught my eye, it was white kimono with black lining. The black lining filled the entire upper back area, but it only outlined the shoulders down to the legs on the front of the kimono. It came with a fiery red belt, it wasn't as large as a normal woman's kimono, it only seemed to cover half the stomach area which was fine by me, I didn't like how normal women's kimonos had belts that covered the entire stomach and stopped below the bust. There was also a small pink sakura design on the bottom right half of the outfit, it was rather cute. It looked very nice, but how did it feel? My fingers began to slowly tread the material, the outside felt rather clean, it was pure cotton, but the inside was rather smooth and gentle, like silk.

"Yuki-dono, is it all right if I take this outfit as well?" I asked.

"Oh, go ahead," Yuki answered, "like I said, take some supplies, they're free of charge."

"Arigatou," I smiled as I placed the material before my cheek.

"We have some more kimonos with that design as well if you like," Yuki added.

"May I take two more of those then?" I asked.

"Hai," Yuki smiled.

I turned to the far wall in the store, there was a small shoji door there. The room behind it didn't seem very large, it must've been the changing area. With a shrug, I went behind the door, there was nothing behind it but a few inches of room. It was definitely the changing room, I just had to change out of my dirty old kimono and change into this new one. The material was so smooth against my skin, I could feel every inch of the material as it lay against my skin. White really was my color, it helped flesh out the color of my skin. The black on the upper back of the outfit matched as well, I swear, this kimono was made just for me. The white would represent my true persona, I really was just an innocent farm girl when I first met Shinta anyways. The black was sort of like a look into my life during the Revolution, dark and grim. The pink sakura, I'm not sure what that represents, but that doesn't matter, I guess it could show there's more to me than what you see.

"It looks good on you," Yuki complimented as I left the changing room.

"Arigatou," I answered.

"Here's the other ones," Yuki handed me two more kimonos with the very same design and feel. "Would you like some hamakas to go with those?"

"No," I answered, "I prefer not to, they limit my leg movement a little bit actually."

"Is that all you're going to take?" Yuki asked as I placed all my supplies into my bag.

"Hai," I nodded, "thanks for everything, Yuki-dono."

"No, I'm the one who should be thanking you, Mina-san," Yuki smiled.

"Oh and more thing," I turned to her once more. "The city is a dangerous place that it is, and I'm afraid I might not be around to help you the next time something like that happens, so I want you to take this," I removed the wakezashi on my belt.

"Mina-san, I can't take this," Yuki began to push the blade away.

"I want you to have it," I told her, "it will be my payment for the supplies and it will assure me that you're protected."

"...okay, I'll take it," she brought the short sword to her belt.

"I guess this is it for now," I told her as I began to leave the store.

"If you ever come back to Kyoto, you're always free to come back here," Yuki called as I began treading the roads once more.

"Arigatou," I called back.

The city of Kyoto, I left it shortly after that, heading to the north. The image of dying men and buildings burning were now just a passing memory, a memory that held good times and bad. My sword suckling the life out of men was part of that memory, meeting my brother was another. My parents dying was something I could not forget, neither was Shion's goodbye. Kyoto, a city that held my past, a city I would consider hell, and yet, my home. Little by little, the number of people I passed began to dwindle, the memories slowly fading until finally I found myself alone. It was just me and the fields, not a person in sight, not a memory resurfacing. I continued down the road until the sky became a red-orange hue, that was when I passed one more person.

"Baka-deshi," the man muttered as I walked passed him.

"Excuse me?" I called to him.

The man turned around with the call of my voice. He was a rather tall man, his form looked as hard as rock. He had hair as black as a raven, part of it was tied back in a low ponytail while the rest hung forward in front of his ears. He had rather narrow eyes, they looked like black peas. His nose was somewhat sharp, while his face was rather built like the rest of his body. He was carrying a large jar of sake in his left hand, you can barely see it as it hid inside that large white mantle he wore. The collar of his mantle was red, but the kimono he wore underneath was blue-green. The hamaka he wore was of a darkish violet shade that almost looked black, along with his shoes which also had a lining of yellow around the ankles. He looked rather young, though he gave me the impression that he was wise beyond his years. I could feel his ki as I stood before him, it was rather strong, it's aura felt somewhat familiar. The smell of blood was strong on him, but his demeanor gave me the feeling that he had no intention of harming me.

"Gomen," he apologized a second later, "you just look like someone I once knew."

"Oh, I see," I told the man.

"Farewell, traveler," the man waved and continued on his way.

I couldn't help but continuing watching that man until he disappeared into the setting sun.

'Who was he?' I thought to myself.

He looked somewhat sad, as if he failed someone not too long ago. He seemed like a descent swordsman, he was carrying one in the back of his belt, nearly hidden from view. What was it that was troubling that man? After a moment of thinking I finally realized who that man was.

'That was Shinta's...master,' I concluded as soon as the man disappeared.

I stared into the setting sun for a moment after realizing who I had just passed. I was thinking that maybe I should chase after the man, that perhaps he would know where my brother is. But then I told myself that he didn't know where Shinta was, that he must've felt guilty for letting his student go never to see him again. Again I sighed and turned back to the road.

I had not passed another individual after my brief encounter with Hiko Seijuro XIII, the only things I passed were even more fields and trees. I soon found myself staring into a fork in the road, the path had been split in three. I stood there for a moment, trying to look down each path, seeing where they lead. Nothing but more road was where each path lead, I could see nothing else before me.

'Which way should I go?' I asked myself.

"If you wish to be strong," my brother's voice began echoing in my ears once more.

'I will not regret which way I choose...,' I began to step forward.

"Be strong in your own way. That way you will become stronger than me."

'...because I know it is the right one.'

  
  


Chapter 34 Liner Notes  
  


(Nothing to explain here.)

Author's Note: All right, hold your reviews until you read the epilogue and stuff, okay. This chapter was the second hardest one to write, the first being the last chapter. I hope it ended well, and don't think Mina's adventures are over yet, we still have two more "Crimson String" books to go. Well we've seen Mina's past in this entire book, so let's take a look at what's going on in the present in the next page, shall we?


	38. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  


"Mina," a voice suddenly interrupts my thoughts, "Mina."

"Ryosuke?" I look up to find my young follower.

"You've been silent for the last hour, Mina, are you all right?" he asks with a look of concern on his face.

"I'm fine, that I am," I smile, "I was just thinking about the past, that's all."

"You aren't the only one," Gonji joins in the conversation.

"We certainly have come a long way these past fifteen long years, haven't we?" Ryosuke asks.

"Hai," I nod.

"So this here's Tokyo," I turn to Wesley who peers into the city below, "never thought I'd actually make my way to the capital like this, no siree."

"Tokyo, this is where it all began," I look to Hideo who stands close by with his arms crossed.

"All right, we've rested here long enough," I tell my followers, "let's head into town now."

I begin to lead my men down toward the city but a tug suddenly pulls onto my sleeve.

"Mina," Ryosuke calls for me, "we're forgetting someone."

I turn back toward the top of the cliff, it's no surprise who I find still standing there. I find myself walking toward my remaining follower as she stands there in a daze. I can't blame her for how she is, it's not her fault for what happened.

"Yurika," I tap her shoulder, "Yurika."

"Hai?" she answers in her monotone voice.

"Let's go, Yurika."

"Hai," she answers again without a trail of emotion in her voice.

She begins to make her way to where the others are as I take one more look into the city. Tokyo, this is where my journey will end, this is where I'll find him. Shinta, our reunion is near, I can feel it...

"Hm," a white speck suddenly falls before my face. "Snow, the mark of the end of one season and the beginning of a new. Romantic nonsense, that it is..."  
  


End of Book I

  
  


Author's note: Are you still holding on to those reviews? Sorry, but there's a few more things I'd like for you to read before you drop them, okay. Check out the next two pages and then give me some feedback. As usual, no flames or anything like that in your reviews, okay.


	39. A Note from the Author

A Note from the Author

  
  


Well, that's it, "Crimson String Book I: Siblings of the Sword" has come to a close. I hope you readers have enjoyed reading this fic, I certainly enjoyed writing it. Anyway, the entire trilogy was originally intended to only be thirty chapters long, but I scrapped that idea because I didn't want to make another "Twin Dragon Arc" (which was my first Rurouni Kenshin fan fic written three years ago) which was all compact and things were rushed. As a result, I had to split the concept into three books in order to get every single detail down without rushing things. The entire "Crimson String" trilogy is actually just one episode for a four part series with Mina called "The Mina No Ryu Saga." "Twin Dragon Arc" was supposed to be episode 2 of the entire four part series, but it will no longer be part of the story as I will be rewriting it so that it will be more detailed and include scenes I couldn't put in the original, such as a fight between Misanagi and Misao and a brand new villain. The "Twin Dragon Arc" remake will be under the new title of "Twin Dragons" (the name may change if I can think of something better), it will be written at the same time as "Crimson String Book III: End of the Line" as both fics are on the very same time line.

There are a few things I'd like to point out on the characters of this book. Mina's real name, Tachibana Minako, is actually a tribute to two characters; Tachibana Ukyo from the Samurai Showdown games and Minako (A.K.A. Sailor Venus) from Sailor Moon. Mina's character design (yes, I have made sketches of her and some of the original characters, if you want to see them leave you e-mail along with a review [the files are about 1500 kb so a normal hotmail account probably can't hold it]) is based on three characters; Himura Kenshin's (obviously) basic form and speech patterns, Baiken from Guilty Gear X for her kimono design and scar placement, and Mitsurugi Ryoko from Samurai Girl Real Bout High School for her basic form and bad temper. Azumi Shion's name is a tribute to two characters; Azumi came from Kiribyashi Azumi from Samurai Girl Real Bout High School, and Shion came from Uzuki Shion from the upcoming RPG, Xenosaga. Shion's design was based off numerous characters, some I don't even know their names but have found pictures of them on the net. The only characters' names I can remember that she's based off of are Kiribyashi Azumi from Samurai Girl Real Bout High School (obviously), and Naru from Love Hina (I dunno, it's mainly their "antenna hair" I copy from, other than that, Shion looks pretty original to me). Kajima Tetsu was a character I borrowed from my sister, you readers may remember him from her fic titled "All I See is Black and White," although he's less of a jerk (if he even is a jerk at all in this fic) than he is in her fic. His appearance is basically the same as the one he was given in "All I See is Black and White," but he's not as muscular and he's obviously not some angry drunken guy, plus both of his eyes are black. Misanagi the Flying Arrow is not of my own creation, she was in the actual Rurouni Kenshin anime in the "Divine Elixir Arc." She was a pretty cool character, although the storyline to the "Divine Elixir Arc" was terrible, I just had to make up for that by putting her in my fics.

Well, I guess you're all tired of reading my ranting and all that, so I guess I'll let you go. Well don't leave just yet, on the next page are some random snippets of the next two books, along with snippets of "When Angels Lost Their Wings" (co-written by Crystal of ff.net) and the rest of the "Mina No Ryu Saga." I'm not telling you which snippet's from which fic, you'll have to figure that out for yourself. So other than that, that's it for now, see you all in "Crimson String Book II: A Rurouni's Path." Later!


	40. Future Fic Previews

Snippet Previews

  
  


"There is a war coming, do wish to take part in it?"

"If you mean that rebellion Saigo's planning, I have no wish to do so."

"But this could be the Revolution you've been waiting for."

"...the Revolution I seek will not be brought about by blood."

  
  


"Devils know their own kind."

"So I've heard, but who are you to say that you are of that kind?"

  
  


"Hitokiri Kensai? I thought that was just a legend that exaggerated the tale of Battousai."

"I thought so at first, that I did."

"So Hitokiri Kensai was real? He really did kill over a thousand men?"

"The Hitokiri Kensai I knew was not one who would seem like they would even kill half as many. And Hitokiri Kensai was not a man, but a girl, a girl by the name of Himura Mina..."

  
  


"My ancestors believed in magnificent beings called 'angels,' winged humans who lived in a paradise called 'Heaven.' I never believed in such tales until I met you."

"...but I have no wings."

"No, no, of course you don't, because I believe now that there was a time when angels lost their wings..."

  
  


"Who are you?"

"You of all people should know, dear cousin. I am the next successor of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu!"

"Why are you calling me cousin, who are you?! And what makes you think you're the next one to succeed the role of Hiko Seijuro?!"

  
  


"Do you think everyone has a soul mate?"

"I believe so."

"Do you think that if one was to be reborn, their soul mate would be too?"

"I do not know..."

  
  


"Is this all you have to offer? Come on, show me your technique, show me the power of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu!"

"Yukishiro Enishi, I will defeat you, and I will do so without using the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu!"

"Then you will die!"

  
  


"Your skill with the Akai Chi Naginata Ryu is very impressive."

"Ah ha ha ha ha! I've only gotten started, Shinimori!"

  
  


"I told you that you can never get rid of me."

"...Kensai?"

  
  


"My sister was killed about ten years ago, it was January 4, Western year 1867, they found her body in the red light district."

'That girl was...'

  
  


"Don't make this any harder, just get out of my way!"

"No, I can't let you. I can't let you go through what I went through fifteen years ago!"

"I'm aware of what lies ahead of me, now get of the way!"

"No!"

  
  


"Do you remember me now?"

"No, it can't be, you're..."

  
  


"Aku Zoku Zan."

  
  


"Darkness is where I roam, the light is a place I can have no home."

  
  


"I never wanted to hurt people, I only wanted to see her again."

  
  


"You mean a lot to me, more than you could ever imagine."

  
  


"I'll prove to you I'm the best in the East as I am in the West!"

  
  


"I could care less for the fate of the Meiji, but I could care more for it's people."

  
  


"I can never forgive you after what you've done! Every night, over and over again, the nightmares never cease!"

  
  


"We are different, you and I, things can never be the way they once were."

  
  


"We meet again...Shinta."

  
  


Author's Note: Well, that's it, can you guess which snippet's for which fic? Well if you can't, you'll have to wait until each one is released individually. Well, how was it all, reviews are welcome, and again, no flames or anything like that, okay? That's it for now, see you in book II!


End file.
